Healing Heart
by Avalon Kane
Summary: The war is over and Harry is alone. His friends have disappeared. The world seems to have forgotten him. Until a sister arrives that he didn't know he had. Together they leave England behind looking for a place to call home. Once there Harry'll find peace and healing and much more...
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This is my first story. Be kind please. Constructive criticism is welcome. This will eventually be slash. This first chapter is long. I don't know if the others will be as long. I'll try not to be too long between posts. Hope you enjoy.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own anything you recognize and will make no money from this. I won't remember to put this on every chapter so this covers the whole story.**

 ** _Chapter One_ **

The morning was peaceful as heavy mist rolled off the lake. Birds were starting to chirp again, finally overcoming the shock they had just lived through. Small creatures leapt from the lake making tiny splashes. And a few tentacles reached out of the water trying to catch the jumping creatures.

The scars in the earth were beginning to heal themselves. Fresh grass and other growing things were beginning to grow over the gouges made by rogue spells. Nature always found a way to heal the damage caused by man. The people who lived in this place were glad to see that the land was recovering from what had happened here.

There was a disturbance on this peaceful morning that caught the residents off guard. Seemingly from no where a lone cloaked figure appeared beside Black Lake. The tall figure seemed to be staring up at the damaged castle next to the lake, deep in thought. Was this person considering approaching the castle? Or were they simply stunned by the amount of damage Hogwarts castle had sustained during the battle? How had they gotten past the wards newly repaired wards?

Minerva McGonagall and Severus Snape hurriedly approached the doors of the castle concerned over this unidentified figure. Minerva was still on guard after the war and the battle that had happened on the grounds of her beloved school. Severus, barely recovered from the injuries he had sustained during the battle and from Nagini's venom, was equally on guard. Everyone knew that some Death Eaters had escaped the battle and the aurors.

Together, wands in hand, they decided to approach the still stranger. They crossed the scarred lawn quickly in case the stranger decided that they had been still long enough. No one else was going to attack the castle on their watch.

When they reached the cloaked stranger it was Severus who spoke. "Who are you and why are you here?" he demanded sharply.

The stranger jerked slightly, having been startled out of their thoughts, before two slender, tattooed hands emerged from the folds of the cloak and reached up the lower the hood. The woman that was revealed was young, not long into adulthood, and startlingly beautiful. Her hair was long, black as onyx and streaked with deep red. Her skin was pale and flawless. Her cupid's bow lips were naturally red. Her eyes were brilliantly, almost unnaturally, blue and framed by long lashes that were the same black and red mix as her hair.

"Miss Nagero?" Minerva blinked as she looked the girl over. To say she was surprised was an understatement. No one had expected to see this girl again.

"Good morrow Professors," Trinity Nagero gave them a soft smile of greeting before returning her attention to the castle, "What happened here? It's only been three years since I left for home."

Severus's voice was cold as he answered her. "War happened Miss Nagero. A war that was brewing long before you returned home."

"And it spilled over to the school?" Trinity growled, "Where was the Ministry? They were under strict orders that Hogwarts was to be protected. And we were to be notified the moment they realized that they couldn't fulfill their duties."

Minerva sighed heavily before explaining, "The Ministry fell to Voldemort long before he moved on the school. There was no one left to inform Karant after that."

"Dumbledore has the means to contact my mother. She made sure of that before she left Hogwarts," Trinity couldn't seem to tear her eyes away from the school that had been her home for the better part of seven years, "And Sofinara or Lycinaya would have been able to get in touch with us."

Minerva glanced at Severus before looking back at Trinity. "Dumbledore was killed before the Ministry fell and he took whatever secrets he had to the grave."

"As for the Contaxis twins," Severus shifted, "they threw themselves into the war. I can only assume they were too distracted to contact Karant."

Trinity nodded and fell silent. She was not troubled by Dumbledore's death. Much of the war could have been avoided if he'd shared his secrets. As for the twins, she wasn't surprised they had involved themselves in the war. They were very much like their mother and brother in their desire to fight to protect. They were also headstrong enough to believe that outside help was unnecessary.

She should never have left. And she wouldn't have if she'd had a choice but her duties in Karant made it impossible for her to stay. Her mother had needed her at home but Kalia could have lived without her just a bit longer. Karant would have been fine for a couple of years. Had she been here the damage wouldn't have been so great. Hell, Kalia should have been here for this, leading the armies of Karant. Witches and wizards fell under the rule of Karant.

"Why are you here Miss Nagero?" Severus asked again to draw the girl's attention back to them.

Trinity came out of her musings and looked him in the eye, "I believe we should discuss that inside Professor."

"If you believe that is best," Minerva said before turning to lead the way inside.

Trinity followed the two professors in silence. Her eyes moved rapidly to take in everything. The broken and burned halls caused sadness to well inside her. The damage caused by dark magic wouldn't be easily repaired. It would take months, if not more, before the castle was put to rights. It angered her that this hadn't been prevented.

Before she knew it they were in the headmaster's office. Trinity removed her traveling cloak and placed in over the back of a nearby straight-backed chair before sitting down. She saw both professors take their own seats while staring at her arms.

The markings were hard to ignore she supposed. Her left arm was completely covered in swirling red and orange flames from her shoulder to her hand where licks fire met at the red rune on her palm. Her right arm was a pale greenish blue that was shot through with blue and white lines that splintered out from random places from her shoulder to her palm where the fracture lines met where a blue rune rested. These were marks of her power and a sign of how powerful she really was.

"Now to answer your question," Trinity looked at Minerva who was sitting behind the headmaster's desk, "I'm here to see Harry Potter."

To say this answer shocked both professors was an understatement. Both of them tore their eyes away from her arms to stare at her with gaping mouths. For long moments neither could come up with any words.

"Why would _you_ want to see Potter of all people?" Severus demanded harshly after the prolonged silence.

"Because he is my brother."

Minerva's mouth opened and closed like a fish before she forced out, "B-b-brother? How is that even possible? Why didn't you say anything before?"

Trinity sighed and settled more comfortably in her chair. "My mother only told me who my father was a month ago. I came back to this world as soon as I was able."

"James Potter was your father?" This came from Severus.

"Yes. Apparently he and my mother were together once and she left Hogwarts pregnant," Trinity told them, "She was not the only one. The other three girls from other worlds were pregnant as well."

"What!?" Severus barked while Minerva was trying to wrap her head around the horror of a group of pregnant students on her watch.

"Drexnata Haunting was pregnant with Sirius Black's son. Olympia Contaxis was pregnant with Remus Lupin's son. My mother was pregnant with me," Trinity paused and gave Severus a hard look, "And Darkana Fairdane was pregnant with your daughter Professor."

"Dark was pregnant?" Severus slumped in his chair. His voice was faint when he spoke again, "I have a daughter. Why didn't she tell me? I taught my own child and never knew it."

Trinity looked at him with pity. "From what I understand, you had already fallen in with the Death Eaters. Darkana had already ended things with you. As soon as she returned home, Queen Darian fell ill and Darkana had to take the throne. Telling you fell to the back burner and she had no idea that you would be teaching here. Arabella had no idea who her father was, none of us did. Our mothers decided to tell us all together.

She and Devonash, who is Black's son, will be coming here after their honeymoon to see their fathers. Xebrex will come to find out about Lupin after he visits with his mother and sisters. I came to find my brother and possibly get information for the others."

Minerva cleared her throat. "I'm afraid both Sirius and Remus were killed in the war. Remus does have an infant son, Teddy, who is being raised by his grandmother. Sirius was Harry's godfather and named him his heir as Sirius was the last of the Blacks. As you see, Severus is here, if a little worse for wear."

"I shall tell them when we speak again," Trinity was saddened by so much death, "Now, what of Harry?"

"He is at home. He was injured during the final battle and has shut himself away there while he heals," Minerva explained.

Trinity frowned at this. Harry was injured? How badly? Should he even be on his own? She had to see him right away. He was her little brother. Family was important, something to be cherished and taken care of. If he wanted a sister, she would take care of him whether he liked it or not.

"Take me to him now," and it was not a request.

HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP

Trinity stepped out of the fireplace and shook the soot from the hem of her cloak. She despised floo travel but apparently it was the easiest way to reach Harry. She stepped forward into the dark room trying to locate Severus. He had come through first to reassure Harry if he had been in the room.

This sitting room was positively depressing. What little light was in the room seemed to be unable to push the darkness back. The furniture was old, worn, and neglected. Dust and cobwebs were thick on every surface. And she was sure there was something unpleasant living in the heavy black curtains she could just make out across the room.

Severus was muttering something about useless elves as he strode confidently to a heavy door that Trinity hadn't even seen. "Be quiet in the hall," he told her shortly, "We don't want to wake that horrid portrait."

Trinity nodded even though he wasn't looking at her and followed. The house was dark and musty everywhere. The elf heads on the wall were disturbing to say the least. Drexnata would be horrified by the display. Creatures fell under her rule and she would punish those who did this severely. There was an evil feel to this house that made her skin crawl. No one should be trying to recover in this place.

They made their way down to a basement kitchen that was remarkably different from the rest of the house. It was warm and inviting. Every surface gleamed in the bright lights. This room was lovingly cared for. And that care seemed to be winning the battle against the darkness that permeated the rest of the house.

"Kreacher!" Severus called sharply, startling her from her observations.

There was a loud crack and a little elf was standing before them. The ugly creature was wearing a gleaming gold necklace and a clean tea towel like a loincloth. His bulbous eyes looked at the two of them with suspicion. "Half-blood called sir?"

"Where is Potter?"

"Master Harry in the library sir." His voice reminded her greatly of nails on a chalkboard.

"Bring him to us. Please," Severus bit out.

Kreacher disappeared with another crack. Trinity looked at Severus with an arched brow. He did not seem the type to say please, especially to a servant. "Potter demands politeness when dealing with the help," he told her.

Before she could respond Kreacher had returned, bringing Harry with him. She watched as Kreacher helped the boy into a chair. His short black hair stuck up in every direction, like he'd stuck his finger in a light socket. His brilliantly green eyes were dull with what looked like pain. His skin was pale, shockingly so, like he hadn't seen the sun in months. There was the lightning bolt scar that she remembered but there was a new scar that made a mess of his face.

Starting under his left eye, covering most of his cheek and neck disappearing into his shirt, it looked like he'd been mauled. There was no telling how big the scar really was. The long, jagged marks were still red and looked as if someone or something had tried to rip off his face. He was moving stiffly, like his leg didn't want to move on its own. She was torn between wanting to see the extent of his injuries and hoping that she never had to.

He shifted uncomfortably in his chair as he thanked the elf. Then he focused on Severus. "What are you doing here? And who is she? You know I want to be left alone," he demanded in a voice rough from disuse.

"This is Trinity Nagero. She was a student three years ahead of you so you may not remember her," Severus told him sharply, "She wanted to meet you and she's not someone even I can say no to."

Harry turned hard eyes to Trinity. "Why would you want to meet me? If it has anything to do with the war, you can go ahead and leave."

"It has nothing to do with the war," Trinity assured him before motioning to the chair closest to him, "May I?"

He looked her over once more before giving a jerky nod. Trinity smiled softly before pulling out the chair. As she sat her eyes never left her brother even as she was aware of Severus moving around the table to take his own seat. Harry simply waited for her to speak again.

"I wanted to meet you because..." Trinity paused as she was caught off guard by a sudden flare of nerves. She cleared her throat twice before the words just tumbled out of her mouth, "I'm your sister."

Harry's mouth fell open in shock and he blinked rapidly, faster than she thought possible. Trinity did not take her eyes from him while she waited for him to recover. After ten long minutes she was beginning to believe she broke him. Even Severus seemed to be concerned.

"Ex-excuse m-me?" Harry finally stuttered, "W-what? How?"

"James Potter was my father," Trinity told him, "Apparently there was a lot of fire whiskey involved and my mother left Hogwarts pregnant."

Harry frowned deeply, "Why didn't I know about this? My parents were together at school. My father wouldn't have..." he trailed off.

"According to my mother their relationship was very new and they were still trying to get used to each other. James and Lily had a terrible fight. Lily, in her anger, told him they were through. James was very upset and very drunk when my mother found him. Mother loved James the way he loved Lily so she offered him comfort. James took advantage of her offer and she took advantage of his drunkenness. She knew she would never have another chance because James would never have betrayed Lily in his right mind.

James never remembered what happened with Mother. He and Lily made up two days later. When mother fell pregnant she said nothing. James was the kind of man who would want to marry the mother of his child whether he loved her or not. Mother, more than anything, wanted James to be happy and Lily was his happiness. So Mother hid her pregnancy and returned home after graduation," Trinity explained to her brother.

"How long was Kalia pregnant in school?" Severus questioned.

"Nearly the entire year. She was very careful with glamors and bulky robes. I was born almost as soon as she returned to Karant. I'm the eldest of the Hogwarts babies by far."

"Why didn't you say anything before?" Harry demanded abruptly, "Am I suddenly worth having as a brother now that I'm the 'Savior'?"

Without thinking of her actions, Trinity reached for him and took his hand. "No Harry, it has nothing to do with this 'Savior' business. I didn't even know about the war coming to a head until I arrived today," she explained gently, "Mother told me about my father a month ago. I demanded to be released from my duties and returned here as soon as I was able. I rearranged everything, upended my life, and traveled between worlds as fast as possible to get here. There is nothing more important than family Harry."

Harry seemed stunned by her impassioned words. He stared down at where she was still holding his hand. "Karant? Why does that sound so familiar?" his asked quietly without moving away from her.

It was Severus that answered this. "Don't you ever pay attention to your lessons Potter?" he asked snidely, "Karant is the kingdom that rules over all humans with access to magic, like wizards, no matter what world they're in. It used to be in this world centuries ago but was moved to a different dimension when muggles became a threat. Kalia Nagero is the queen of Karant and Trinity is her heir."

Harry's eyebrows shot clear into his hairline. "You're a princess?"

"Yes," Trinity answered with a half smile, "and that brings up something else. A gift from my mother."

Confusion filled green eyes searched hers. "Why would your mother give me a gift?"

"My mother loved James Potter greatly. She was devastated to learn that he and Lily were both gone. Had she known that you had been left alone nothing would have stopped her from bringing you to Karant. We are family," Trinity explained, "She feels that she failed James, me, and, most importantly, you. So she wants to make you a prince of Karant."

Both Harry and Severus gaped at her like she'd suddenly grown a second head. She'd never seen the Potions Master look so inelegantly flabbergasted in her life. Poor Harry looked as if he might just faint from shock. Something like this had only happened once before in Karant's history. Catherine St. Clair, the former queen of Karant, had made Kalia a princess because she had no heirs of her own. Catherine had disappeared as soon as Kalia came of age.

"What does that even mean?" Severus barked out suddenly.

Trinity looked over at him and heaved a heavy sigh before answering the question. "It means that he'll have a permanent home in Karant, a boost in funds, and a boost in power. It means that if something happens to me and my mother has no other children he would be the Heir of Karant. It means that he will be protected by the full power of Karant. Even here the Ministry can't touch him. Anyone who tries to harm him in any way will feel the full fury of of myself and my mother. No one, and I mean no one, will be able to use him, abuse him, steal from him, lie about him, or force him to do anything he doesn't want to do ever again. He has one of the most powerful families in any world to love and protect him. It means he will never be alone again. All the things he would have had if Dumbledore hadn't kept his own council."

Her fervent words seemed to amaze Harry. It saddened her greatly to know her brother had known so little acceptance and support in his life that a few words floored him. No matter if he decided to take her mother's gift or not he would always have Trinity's love, support, and protection.

"And if I say no?" Harry asked worriedly.

Trinity squeezed his hand as her eyes found his. "You are my brother Harry. I love you, never doubt that. You will always be welcome in Karant even if you aren't a prince. You will always have my support and protection. And I'm going to be spending all of my time getting to know you for the foreseeable future. My mother has released me from my duties for as long as I need. Even when I'm ready to resume my duties I won't be returning to Karant if you do not wish to live there. As long as you want me for a sister, you are going to be stuck with me."

"I won't insult your mother if I don't accept?"

Trinity smiled softly at him and shook her head. She was caught completely off guard when Harry awkwardly launched himself into her arms. Trinity grinned at Severus as she held the boy. She thought she saw the corner of his mouth twitch upwards before she rested her cheek on the top of Harry's head.

HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP

She didn't get an answer that night. Much to her surprise, Harry had fallen asleep in her lap. She and Severus had talked softly while he slept. Kreacher had appeared about and hour after he dozed off and taken Harry to his room. Severus had followed after the duo to check on Harry's healing. Kreacher had returned to feed her.

Severus had left for Hogwarts with a promise to return later. Out of boredom Trinity had gone to explore the house. She destroyed every dark object she found, eradicated some particularly vicious doxies, killed four boggarts, and banished a ghoul.

The raging portrait of a rather vile woman was stuck to the wall. Trinity silenced the annoying woman while she tried to figure out a way to remove her without destroying the portrait. After a while she shrugged and set the portrait on fire. She carefully watched the fire and put it out once the job was done. Smiling, she cleaned up the mess and hoped that Harry wouldn't be too upset.

She found a tapestry that had been hexed quite a few times. It was stuck to the wall as well but as it was a family tree she didn't want to destroy it. Unlike the insane portrait it had done nothing to offend her. So she simply repaired where it had been hexed and left it alone.

After that Trinity called Kreacher and politely asked for a place to sleep. She was exhausted. Traveling between dimensions was tiring and she'd used quite a bit of magic in the few hours since Harry had fallen asleep. Even with as powerful as she was she had pushed herself a bit too hard today.

Kreacher showed her to a dreary, but clean, room with two beds. She thanked him with a smile before falling across the bed and promptly falling asleep. She never felt the little elf tucking her into bed.

HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP

The next morning found Trinity dragging herself out of bed late. Princess she may be but a morning person she was not. She stumbled her way down to the kitchen grumbling about waking before midday. Stupid royal training getting her out of bed whether she wanted to be or not.

Harry was already awake and had been for hours. He sniggered at his sister's grumbling. Kreacher took one look at the bleary eyed woman and promptly served her fresh coffee. Trinity's response was something along the lines of, "Thanks for not giving me tea." Which made Harry laugh out right. She glared at him as soon as she could focus her eyes.

"Not fond of mornings?" Harry asked her cheerfully.

Trinity snorted as she downed her entire cup of coffee, which Kreacher was quick to refill. "Not in the slightest," she finally answered him.

Harry smiled, sipping his tea. Then he said, "I noticed Mrs. Black's portrait was missing..."

"I was going to think of a way to simply remove her but she annoyed me, so I burned her off the wall. I'm sorry if that bothers you."

"Oh no, I'm fine with it. Been trying to get her off the wall for years."

"Good. I also got rid of a few pests and a mess of dark objects," Trinity shrugged, "I was bored."

Harry was astonished. "You must be powerful because those were some nasty objects."

Trinity nodded, "The people of Karant and other worlds are more connected to magic. I have more power than all the wizards in Britain combined. You're the most powerful wizard in this world. I can see your magic flowing and pulsing all around you. If you decide to accept Mother's gift, your power will grow significantly. You won't be as powerful as I am because I am Heir of Karant, like I'm not as powerful as Mother because she is queen."

Harry nodded and promptly lost himself in his thoughts. Trinity muttered something about bathing and left the room. Did he want to be a prince? The protection offered would be nice. He trusted the Ministry about as far as he could throw them without magic. He didn't need money or power, he had more than enough of both. But his own family was something he desperately wanted.

The Weasleys hadn't been around since the end of the war. He hadn't even heard from Ron or Hermione in months. Other than Madam Pomfrey and Professor Snape no one had visited. Ginny hadn't been able to stomach the sight of his injuries. The aftermath of the war had shown him how alone he truly was.

Trinity was his sister, his very own family. She was a princess and extremely powerful. She wanted nothing from him, needed nothing from him. Professor Snape trusted her and deferred to her in a way he hadn't deferred to Voldemort or Dumbledore. She had no need for his money or his fame. She'd changed her entire life simply for a chance to know him. No one had ever done something like that for him before.

And then there was Kalia Nagero, Queen of Karant. She'd loved his father. The way she'd been with James Potter was a bit underhanded but she'd stepped aside so James could be with his true love. This offer was a way for her to make amends for keeping Harry and Trinity apart. And she wouldn't be offended if he turned her down.

Trinity reappeared in jeans and a black t-shirt, her hair still damp from her shower. She hardly looked any more awake than she had before she went upstairs. Kreacher was quick to supply more coffee. Harry wasn't exactly a morning person himself but he was better at mornings than his sister it seemed. He didn't bother to disguise his snort of amusement.

Instead of teasing her, he brought up the offer. "I'm not sure I want to be a prince."

Trinity shrugged. "It's an open ended gift. I don't need an answer anytime soon. It doesn't matter if you give me an answer now or ten years from now. You have plenty of time to think it through."

Harry nodded, relieved. It was a big decision. He wanted to think it through. He had spent enough time simply rushing into things in his life. And that rarely ended well for him. And there were many people that would agree he was rash and emotional. Having the time to think was good.

"That tapestry upstairs looked like a family tree," Trinity said after finishing her coffee, "Yours?"

"In a way, I suppose. It's the Black family. Sirius Black was my godfather and named me his heir when he died."

"Then you have a brother too, after a fashion."

Harry had thought she was done surprising him. "Huh?" was the best he could manage.

"Devonash Haunting, Prince of Hallasta, is Sirius Black's son. He's married to Arabella Fairdane, Princess of Iouna, Severus Snape's daughter. They'll be coming to this world soon. And Xebrex Contaxis, Prince of Unapegon, is Remus Lupin's son. He's already in this world visiting his mother. His sisters, Sofia and Lycia, were in the same year as you. I'm sure Brex already knows about Remus. When Ash and Bell meet with Severus they'll learn about Sirius," Trinity explained, "When Ash learns of your relationship to Sirius he will see you as his brother. The four of us are family and now you're a part of that."

"Did anyone know that these women were pregnant? Because neither Sirius or Remus ever mentioned having a son."

"Severus was on a dark path and already falling in with Death Eaters, so Darkana never told him. Drexnata's father was ill so she had to rush home before she even knew she was pregnant. Her father died and she became queen and time got away from her. As for Olympia, I don't know if she told Remus or not. Considering the father's feelings has never been high on her list of priorities."

Harry fell silent, thinking. After a moment he murmured, "Yesterday I had no family. Now there's so much."

Trinity smiled at him. They were quiet while Kreacher served a light lunch. She complimented the elf lavishly while she enjoyed yet another cup of coffee. Harry had never seen anyone drink so much coffee before.

"So, do you want to come to Karant? Stay in England? Travel around? Or pick some random place to live?" Trinity asked as she finished eating.

Indicating his leg, Harry said, "I'm not really up for much traveling and I don't think I'm ready to visit Karant. I know that I don't want to stay in England, but where would we go?"

Trinity waved her hand and a weird little machine appeared on the table in front of Harry. It was colored like a rainbow. There was a rectangular window near the top and beneath that was a round black button. Harry shot Trinity a confused look.

"My Aunt Pia called it Location Roulette. She lived in this world while we were attending Hogwarts. To make things interesting, since moving between worlds is hard on children, she came up with this little box. On holidays we would press the button and it would give out a random place. No matter where it said, that's where we would spend our holiday."

"So, just push the button and we'll live wherever it says?"

Trinity nodded. "Every town in this world is in there. Go ahead and give it a shot. If you want to that is..."

Harry considered the machine. He actually liked the randomness of the thing. Taking a breath he pressed the button. Lights appeared in the window and flashed like a strobe light. He and Trinity waited with baited breath. Both leaned over the machine when the lights stopped.

"Forks, Washington, United States of America."


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: I'd like to thank everyone for their reviews and the positive response. I'm a bit surprised it's been so well received. I hope that the story continues to flow as well as it has been. I hope this new chapter is as good as the last. Enjoy...**

 ** _Chapter 2_**

Once their destination was chosen Trinity sprung into action. With a quick kiss on the top of his head and a "Back soon" she left Harry sitting at the table and teleported away. She landed in a tree, having overshot her target just a bit.

Heaving a frustrated sigh, Trinity dropped thirty feet to the ground, landing lightly on her feet. She could just imagine the look on her mother's face. And Brex could never find out about this. He was her best friend and an ass and he would never let her live it down.

As she walked out of the trees she summoned a credit card and a driver's license. She looked them over before slipping them into the back pocket of her jeans. There was a bed and breakfast just down the street where she and Harry could stay while they looked for a home.

She walked into the white three-story Victorian house that was Miller's B & B and went straight to the small reception desk. No one was there so she rang the service bell and waited. It didn't take long for an elderly lady with iron gray hair to bustle out from the back of the house.

"Good morning," she gave a bright smile, "How may I help you?"

"I was hoping you'd have a room with two beds available? Preferably on the bottom floor if you can manage it. My brother has a bad leg and managing stairs is difficult for him."

The woman pulled a heavy, old fashioned, leather bound ledger from a shelf under the desk. She opened it, using a bookmark to guide her. Taking up a pen she spoke, " I have one room on the first floor. It's a bit small and only has one bed. Would you like that room for your brother and another for yourself?"

Trinity shook her head. "Harry has terrible nightmares and doesn't like waking alone, especially in a new place. The accident wasn't that long ago. Is the room large enough for two single beds? I'll pay extra for the change, even pay for the beds, if I must."

The woman's eyebrows rose. "I suppose that can be arranged."

Trinity grinned, "Brilliant." She gave her information and credit card to the woman. "I'm not sure how long we'll be staying. I have to go get Harry. We'll be back in an hour or so, plenty of time to arrange our room. See you soon."

With that taken care of Trinity left. She needed to find a place to buy a car. And she had to find a realtor who could show them properties. Once that was taken care of she would head back to London to pick up Harry. It was looking to be a busy morning.

HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP

She arrived at Harry's house to find his bags already packed. After assuring Kreacher they would call for him when they had found a home. She shrunk the luggage and teleported back to Forks with Harry. They landed lightly beside the black Toyota she'd bought earlier.

Harry looked around in amazement as she re-sized the luggage and put it in the trunk. He took in the tall trees that surrounded them. The heavy mist in the air and the gray sky overhead reminded him of a dreary London day. Everything looked like it was never dry. And he wondered at the ease of traveling halfway around the world.

"That wasn't unpleasant at all," Harry spoke with wonder coloring his voice, "How do you apparate like that?"

Trinity closed the trunk and ducked into the trees. "I don't apparate, I teleport. It's different and no shoving yourself through a straw. We could apparate next time if you'd rather," she called from wherever she was.

"No, no, no," Harry shook his head even though he wasn't sure she could see him, "Your way is much better."

He heard Trinity laugh at this. He smiled as he opened the car door. He was glad that she'd dropped him on the passenger side. He'd packed his bags by himself much to Kreacher's irritation. All that moving around was hard on his leg. At this point he wasn't sure he could walk a few steps let alone all the way around the car.

"What are you doing anyway?" he asked after a few minutes.

"Getting something for you," his sister answered as she emerged from the trees.

She was carrying a cane. It was made of two different pieces of wood twined around one another, one red and one black. The top of the cane was the head of a dragon made of silver with eyes made from emeralds. It was a piece of art. She held it out to him with a big grin. Harry carefully took it from her and looked it over with a smile.

"Do you like it?" she asked, looking like she was trying hard not to chew on her lip.

Nodding his head, he pulled her into a hug. "It's wonderful. Thank you." He gave her a smile and if it was a little watery she pretended not to notice.

"You're welcome," she grinned, "Now get in. We'll go to the B&B and spend the rest of the day taking it easy. And tomorrow we'll start looking for a place to live. The realtor was really excited to work with me. It's a small town so I'm assuming she doesn't get too many clients."

Harry nodded as he looked out the window to watch the passing scenery. "Sounds like a plan."

Even though it seemed as if they were in the middle on nowhere it only took them about fifteen minutes to reach the B&B. Harry did enjoy looking at the moss covered forest and he couldn't wait until he could move around well enough to explore it. It didn't look like it would be anywhere near as dangerous as the Forbidden Forest.

He looked up at the huge house while Trinity pulled into the small parking lot. He'd never seen a house quite so large. But he supposed it made since considering that it was a hotel. Trinity climbed out of the car and went to get his luggage out of the trunk. He was glad that she didn't offer to help him out of the car. As much as he was hurting allowing someone to help him had always been nearly impossible for him to do.

He was leaning heavily on his new cane as they made their way across the lot. He could feel his sister shooting concerned looks his way but she kept her own council. But she did keep her pace slow so that he wouldn't have to try and rush. Even though he said nothing he appreciated the effort she was making to accommodate his injury without being too obvious.

The gray haired woman at the desk looked up when the two of them walked in, or in his case, limped in. She gave them a welcoming smile, "Good morning. We got the room ready for you just as you asked. And we found an old privacy screen for getting dressed."

Trinity's brows rose at this, "Thank you. I hadn't even thought of that."

The other woman's smile brightened. "You are very welcome. It's just this way."

She moved out from behind the desk and headed down the hallway. Harry didn't know if it was her advanced age or if she was being considerate but her pace was slow. He was so glad that Trinity had given him a cane. Honestly he couldn't think of why he hadn't gotten one before. Sheer stubbornness he supposed. Or possibly denial.

"I'm Tammy Miller," the woman introduced herself, "Breakfast is served every morning between 6 and 8. You're on your own for lunch and though we may be able to provide supper on occasion, generally you're on your own for that as well. There are a few charming restaurants in town. Port Angeles is about forty-five minutes away and has more to choose from."

"Is there anything else in the area?" Trinity asked before explaining, "We're moving here, you see, and would like to enjoy everything this place has to offer."

"Well, people mostly do outdoor activities, hiking, fishing and the like," she looked over her shoulder at them, "People like to go out to the Reservation for the beach. The kids like to surf and laze on the beach. There are some nice crafty shops on the Reservation. If you want to see movies or go out to a bar or something like that you'll find all that in Port Angeles or, if you feel like a bit of a drive, Seattle."

Harry listened closely to everything she had to say. Hiking and surfing were out of the question for the time being but the other stuff sounded doable. He'd never seen the ocean. He was glad that there was a beach nearby. He'd never been to a movie either. He used to enjoy watching television when the Dursley's were out. He'd bet that a movie would be even better. And he was pretty sure he wasn't old enough to go into a bar.

Mrs. Miller finally stopped at a door practically at the back of the house. "And here's your room," she said as she pushed open the door and handed Trinity a key, "Let me know if you need anything else."

Harry stepped around both women and into the room. He needed to sit down. Once inside though, he stopped to look around. The walls were covered with tiny roses on a cream background, a not-to-obnoxious wallpaper. There were two windows with lace curtains and under each window was a single bed. The sheets were cream colored and there were old-fashioned, hand stitched quilts on top. Against the wall across from the foot on each bed were two wardrobes made out of some sort of dark wood with brass knobs. There were two tiny night tables beside each bed. And angled against one corner was a dark tri-fold screen for them to change behind. It wasn't much but it wasn't the tightest quarters he'd ever stayed in.

"Now, you don't have a private bathroom technically," Mrs. Miller was saying, "but there is a small bathroom right next door. It has a small shower but it will meet your needs. No one else uses it most of the time but I wouldn't leave your things in there just in case. We hardly ever use this room because it is so small and out of the way."

"It's perfect and I thank you for going out of your way to fix it for us," Trinity said as she put the bags on one of the beds.

Mrs. Miller blushed faintly at the sincerity in Trinity's words. "You to have a nice day and I'll see you for breakfast."

After she was gone Harry sank onto the bed with a relieved sigh. "You do realize that you don't actually have any clothes," he said as he watched her start to unpack his things.

She looked over her shoulder at him and grinned. Then she waved her hand at the wardrobe at the foot of her bed. The doors popped open and Harry saw that it was full of clothes. "I never travel with luggage. I've been able to conjure my own clothes since I was five or six. I only brought in two suitcases so it wouldn't look suspicious to our host." She gave another wave and Harry's things floated into the other wardrobe and put themselves away. Then she slid both cases under her bed.

Harry shifted further up onto the bed and fell back against the pillows. "I'm exhausted. I think I could sleep for the rest of the week."

Trinity gave him a soft smile before removing his shoes and slipping them under the bed. "You go ahead and get some sleep. I'll head out and have a look around town. Find something to keep me occupied. I'll also find something for dinner while I'm out."

Harry nodded even as his eyes slipped closed. He never even heard Trinity slip out of the room.

HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP

Trinity spent the next few hours poking around the town and the surrounding forest. She did all of this on foot. She enjoyed walking. And it made things take longer so she didn't have to spend a ton of time watching television so Harry could rest. There were quite a few family owned stores, more than she had been expecting honestly. The town was small after all.

It was a beautiful area. She hadn't seen anything like it in this world before. The forest here was probably as close as this world could get to the forests that bordered her homeland. It wasn't a patch on the Magic Forest but then nothing really was in any world. She did like this place though. She was sure that she could come to love it. Harry probably could too.

Harry could find peace here. And the ambient magic is this area was some of the strongest she'd ever felt. Her brother could find healing here. For his body and his spirit. Damn that old fool for putting a child at the forefront of the war with Voldemort. Damn him for not contacting Karant as he should have, for thinking he was far too clever to need any help, for risking everything over some misplaced sense of pride. And damn him for dying before he could be punished for his actions and inaction.

Harry was broken. A boy his age shouldn't have the kinds of nightmares that he did. He shouldn't have the kinds of memories that he did. He shouldn't have the deaths of so many on his conscience. He should never have had to kill anyone at such a young age. And he shouldn't have the kinds of injuries that he did.

She was going to find a way to heal him. This place would definitely be a big help. That was what she loved about Location Roulette. It always seemed to know what the button pusher needed the most at the time. She remembered when she was first trying to learn how to master air and it had been her turn to press the button. It sent them to one of the windiest places in this world; Cape Denison, Commonwealth Bay, Antarctica. That had been a cold vacation but she had easily learned to bend the winds to her will. And when Bell had desperately been missing home it had sent them to the Andes Mountains in South America.

So the magic machine had told them to come here. She had always trusted Pia's magic. The woman may not be the most sensitive but her magic was flawless and pure. She and Harry would get to know one another and Harry would heal.

Trinity started back towards a diner she had spotted an hour ago. Harry would like a burger and fries. Everyone liked burgers, right? And from the crowd inside, she assumed that the food in the place was good.

She went inside and order two burgers with everything, two large fries and two chocolate milkshakes. While she waited she ignored the stares from the citizens. She was new to the town and that always caused speculation. Plus her hair, which looked dyed and her marks of power, which looked like tattoos to them would draw their attention. As Heir she was quite used to ignoring stares and speculation. If she remembered correctly, such behavior would be a problem for Harry.

Soon enough her order was ready and she set off towards the B&B. As she walked she noticed the sky getting darker. 'Please don't rain, please don't rain,' ran through her head as she picked up her pace. There were too many people around for her to just start using magic.

A police car rolled up beside her drawing her out of her mantra. She stopped and looked at the mustached man who was driving it with a questioning gaze. He'd better hurry because she really didn't want the food to get wet.

"Hi there," he said after he finished looking her over from head to toe, "I'm Chief Charlie Swan. You new in town?"

"Trinity Nagero, and yes," she answered quickly, "Not to be rude or anything but I have to get back before it starts raining. I don't want my dinner to get wet."

Charlie nodded before looking up at the sky. "You staying at Miller's?" he asked after a quick study of the clouds. Trinity nodded. "You're not gonna make it before it opens up. Hop in and I'll give you a ride."

Trinity pursed her lips and contemplated turning him down before she felt the first drop hit her cheek just under her eye. She immediately pulled open the front door and climbed into the seat. She noticed him giving her a bemused look as she slammed the door. "What? I'm not a criminal so I'm not riding in the cage."

Chief Swan chuckled under his breath as he put the car in gear and made a u-turn in the middle of the street so he was headed in the direction that she had been. "So, what brings you to Forks?" he asked.

She wondered if it was idle curiosity or professional concerns that made him ask. It was probably a little of both. He didn't strike her as a gossip so she decided to answer him. "My brother and I decided to move here."

"Do you have family in the area or something? I love this town but people don't usually move here."

"No, we don't have any family here," Trinity told him as the B&B came into view, "We essentially threw a dart at a map."

"Strange way to move," Chief Swan mused.

"No doubt," Trinity answered with a wry smile as he stopped in front of the B&B, "Well, thanks for the ride Chief. It was nice to meet you." She hopped out of the car and closed the door before he could respond.

She ran through the rain and hurried inside managing to keep the food dry and the shakes in their carry tray. Mrs. Miller looked up at her in surprise as she skidded to a stop in front of the reception desk. With a sheepish smile Trinity headed to the room she was sharing with her brother.

"He's in the sitting room dear," Mrs. Miller called out before she got too far down the hall.

"Thanks," Trinity said as she changed course.

Harry was sitting on a sofa, with his leg propped up on pillows, reading a book. His scarred cheek was resting in his hand while he read. She looked at the book and was surprised to see the he was reading Mark Twain.

"I'm back," she spoke softly so as not to startle him, "I brought dinner."

Harry blinked as he came out of his story. Then he smiled, "What'd you get?"

"Burgers, fries, and chocolate shakes," she told him with a shrug before sitting in the chair nearest to him, "I didn't know what you would like so I went for something simple. I figured that everyone like burgers and chocolate."

Harry laid the book down on the arm of the couch and held out his hand for the food. "I'll eat just about anything but burgers are good and chocolate is even better."

Trinity smiled as she passed him his dinner. They ate in companionable silence, neither feeling the need to talk. There was plenty of time to talk. Now was time for eating and they hadn't eaten since lunch in London. With the time difference it had been the better part of the day since they ate. Harry had slept through much of that time but his stomach was probably what had woken him. She had expected to have to wake him up so he could eat.

"How long have you been awake?" she asked him when she was finished.

Harry shrugged, "Long enough to read a few chapters but I'm a fast reader so I'm not really sure. Mrs. Miller got me set up in here and gave me that Tom Sawyer book. She checked on me a few times. And she's trying really hard not to stare at my face."

"She seems like a nice lady who respects her guests privacy. And I told her that you were in an accident a few months ago, so she probably won't ask to keep from stirring up bad memories."

"Thanks for preparing her before hand. I just know that the rest of the people here won't be so easy. Nothing spreads faster in a small town than gossip," Harry said ruefully as he finished his own dinner.

"I set a few tongues wagging I know. I spent my entire afternoon walking around the town. I'm sure some thought I was some kind of hoodlum with my 'dyed hair and tattoos' but the clincher was probably when I got into Chief Swan's police car."

Harry choked on his shake as he tried not to laugh. "And what were you doing in a police car?"

"He just gave me a ride because of the rain but I'm sure that by tomorrow everyone will think that he wrestled me to the ground and arrested me for stealing all the money from the diner that I bought the burgers from."

Trinity and Harry both laughed at the image of the very human police chief trying to wrestle her to the ground. She wasn't sure which was more absurd, her stealing or losing a fight to a human. It was good to hear Harry laughing so she really didn't mind that he might actually think it was possible for her to lose to a mere man.

After they settled back down Harry yawned wide enough to make his jaw crack. Trinity's brows raised all the way up her forehead. That didn't sound remotely pleasant. "Maybe you should head back to bed," she suggested.

"What time do we have to meet with the realtor tomorrow?" He asked as he maneuvered his leg from its pillow nest and down to the floor.

"9 am," Trinity said with a put-out expression, "I hope Mrs. Miller makes plenty of strong coffee. I'm going to need it."

Harry just laughed at her before standing up with the help of his cane. "I'll take a shower in the morning. You go ahead and take yours tonight so you can sleep longer in the morning."

He started to reach for his trash but Trinity just waved him away. "I'll clean up. You go on to bed."

"Good night then."

"Good night Harry." Trinity watched him until he was out of the room before she started to pick up their trash. She crammed everything into the bag before taking one of the unused napkins to mark Harry's place in the book. She tucked the book under her arm and checked to make sure she hadn't missed anything before looking for a trash can.

Mrs. Miller met her at the door. "I'll take that for you dear."

Trinity smiled and passed her the trash. "Thank you for helping Harry get settled while I was out. All of the traveling today was hard on him. And thanks for lending him the book as well."

"It was no trouble and he can hang onto the book for as long as the two of you are here," Mrs. Miller gave her a smile.

"Good night Mrs. Miller. We've another long day tomorrow."

"Good night Miss Nagero."


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: I've noticed as I go on that Harry is starting to sound American. I apologize now for this. At this point it's going to be all I can do to keep him from sounding Southern on top of that. I'm still surprised with how well this is being received. Thank you for following my story and for the kind comments.**

 **Someone asked if this was going to be mpreg. As of right now it isn't. I appreciate mpreg stories but I don't see myself writing one. They will meet Paul soon, either in the next chapter or the one after. This isn't going to be a short story. I'm still not sure when the Cullens will come into the picture. With that said, I hope you enjoy this next chapter.**

 _ **Chapter Three**_

"We've seen four houses already," Harry groused as he shifted uncomfortably in the passenger seat, "I'm not sure how much longer I can keep walking around today."

Trinity leaned up from her place in the center of the backseat and put a hand on his shoulder. "How bad is it?" her voice held a wealth of concern.

Harry sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I want my pain medication so bad that I don't even care how it tastes. Even sitting in this car is becoming problematic."

The realtor cleared her throat from her place behind the wheel. Harry looked over at the mid-thirties blonde and waited for her to say something. "We only have one more house to look at today," she told them in her husky, smoke-damaged voice.

Trinity sighed, "Maybe we should just head back to the B&B and pick this up again tomorrow."

Harry shook his head. "I can stick it out," Harry shifted again, "I'll be fine if it's only one more house. Though you'll probably be house hunting without me tomorrow."

"Maybe this house will be the one and we won't have to house hunt at all tomorrow," Trinity tried to make her voice sound positive but she didn't quite succeed.

Harry wasn't that hopeful anymore either. Both of them had been so excited this morning and every previous morning. Well, Trinity had been after her fifth cup of coffee. He was starting to think that she was immune to caffeine. But they had been at this all morning. They had missed lunch and not one of the houses had felt right to either of them. It wasn't that one liked a house and the other didn't. It was that not one of the houses felt like home or even like the possibility of home.

The realtor, Julie Webber, was still hopeful, even after four days of house hunting. She was irritatingly upbeat and positive about the whole affair. She was absolutely sure that she would be able to find them a house. He really hoped that she would be able to. He liked the feel of this town and he knew that Trinity did too.

"What if this isn't the house?" he asked as a sharp pain lanced through his hip making him irritable, "What if there are no houses at all? There can't be that many more left to look at."

Julie made a tsking noise at his doubt. Before she could say anything, Trinity spoke up, "If none of the houses are right for us then we'll buy some land and hire a contractor. We will have a perfect house in this perfect town come hell or high water."

Harry nodded and shot his sister a smile over his shoulder. Trinity smiled back and sat back in her seat. Julie kept smiling even though there was a new tension around her mouth. A bit of land didn't come with nearly as big of a price tag as a house. If she couldn't find them a house she was going to lose out on a big commission.

They drove about fifteen minutes out of town. The forest around them was so dense that he could almost believe that they were miles away from civilization. That kind of privacy was a big plus in his mind. They could practice magic without worry with this kind of privacy. He was a social person but he also craved being away from prying eyes.

"Now this house comes with 10 acres of land. It is two-story but there is a bedroom with an en suite on the first floor. The main floor is open concept with a chef's kitchen, large living room, and dining room. There is also a guest bathroom and a coat closet on the first floor. There are four bedrooms, each with an en suite on the second level. There is a covered front porch and a big deck at the back. It's partially covered so you can even use it in the rain. Most of the land is forested and runs right up to La Push. There is a two car garage, it isn't attached to the house but there is a covered walkway between the garage and the house," Julie described the house as she turned down a narrow paved driveway.

The house was well away from the road. When they turned the bend and the house appeared in front of them Harry's breath caught in his throat. The big white farmhouse was beautiful. The matching garage was beautiful and the walkway didn't take away from the surroundings at all. As he looked at the house he knew that even if this house didn't feel right, then he would want a house that looked like this one.

Julie stopped the car as close to the house as she could without parking in the grass. Harry opened the door and eased himself out of the car. As much as he wanted to see the inside of this house, he still wasn't in any hurry to be on his feet again. Trinity was out of the car and waiting for him. She was doing the "hovering without hovering" thing again. And he appreciated it because at this point he wasn't sure if he could even make it into the house.

The realtor was waiting on the porch for them. She looked slightly impatient. And he couldn't really blame her. He had been moving slower and slower at every house. But she had been warned about his condition. Really, the cane should have given her the biggest clue to his current limitations. The money that they were willing to spend went a long way toward helping Julie keep her patience. It's amazing what the words "money is no object" could do.

Trinity walked behind him as he slowly made his way up the steps just in case he lost his balance. There were hanging flowers around the porch and a porch swing on the far end. Julie opened the door and motioned them inside. Harry stood in the middle of the empty room and took it all in.

There was a stone fireplace that was framed by built-in bookcases. The medium toned hardwood floors continued throughout the whole room. The kitchen was a cook's dream with stone counters, double ovens, massive refrigerator, six burner stove, double sink, a dish washer, and a big island. There were lots of cabinets and more counter space than anyone would know what to do with.

Julie was showing Trinity the closet and the bathroom. Harry made his way slowly down the short hallway. He found what would have to be his room and looked inside. It was bigger than he thought it would be. The same hardwood was in here. There were two large windows overlooking the backyard. The view was wonderful. The closet was bigger than he could ever possibly need. The walls would have to be painted because the white was blinding. The bathroom was white too. There was a good-sized tub, a separate shower, a single sink, and a weird toilet that was just hanging off the wall with no tank that he could see.

He made his way back to where the women were discussing the amenities. He had no idea what a tank-less water heater was. And why would you run gas into a fireplace? And why did a window need three panes? Should he care what kind of foam insulation was in the walls?

"Will you be okay down here while we go check upstairs?" Trinity asked him.

Harry nodded, "I'm going to go look at the deck."

Trinity and Julie hurried up the staircase. Harry went out the french doors in the kitchen and stepped out onto the deck. The yard was beautiful and open. If they didn't have magic it would be a pain in the ass to keep up. The trees that completely surrounded the house and yard towered over everything. They made him feel safe, something he couldn't really remember feeling.

He really hoped that Trinity liked this house. This could be home for them. It was too big for just the two of them but he didn't care. And Trinity had said that there was more family that would, hopefully, want to visit. They would need someplace to stay. This house made him feel safe and like he finally had a real home. Not a school that he tried to pretend was home. But he knew that if they both didn't feel it then it wasn't really home.

The air was wet and clean. He loved the smell of the forest. He could see himself living here and sitting on this deck with his sister. They could talk and eat and get to know each other. They could hide from the gossip mongers when they got to be too much. The magic here was alive and in everything. He could feel it, see it, even though that wasn't something he could actually do.

The door opened behind him and Harry gave a small start. He'd been so wrapped up in his thoughts he'd forgotten that he wasn't alone. He only heard one set of footsteps crossing the deck towards him. So he wasn't surprised when Trinity came to stand beside him.

"Where's the realtor?"

"She's waiting inside. I asked her to give us some privacy while we discussed the house."

Harry gave a tiny smile, barely moving his lips. In the other houses there had been no discussion. They had simply looked at each other and said no. They hadn't needed to discuss anything. He and Trinity seemed to be of the same mind when it came to what they wanted in a home. It was amazing considering they had only met a few days ago.

"I feel at peace here," Harry told her without looking away from the trees, "and safe."

"The magic here feels like its welcoming me home. It's natural magic, ever changing. Not like the stagnant magic around Hogwarts and Britain. It's healing." Trinity turned to face him fully, "I think this is it. What do you think?"

Harry closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. The scent of the forest sending happy tingles down his spine causing him to really smile, "I think we're finally home."

Trinity grinned, "Great. I'll go talk to Julie."

As his sister hurried off to handle the business portion of the day Harry wanted to laugh. He hadn't heard from any of his friends. He hadn't heard from anyone that was supposed to care about him. He hadn't even heard from the people there that he was sure hated him. He had a sister that he never knew existed and apparently all kinds of family he never met. He'd lost nearly every person he'd ever cared about and added more for him to care about.

His life had been hell so far. He was barely eighteen and he'd suffered more than anyone should have to. But right at this moment it looked like things were starting to turn around. He had a family. And together they had a home. Harry let himself laugh. Life might not be perfect but it sure was heading that way.

HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP

"Do you want to help me decorate the house?" Trinity asked over dinner the next day.

The owner had jumped on the offer almost before Julie had given him the number. Barring any problems the house would be theirs by the end of next week. Now that they had a house they could start making it their own.

Harry shrugged, "I'm not sure how much help I'd be. I'm not even sure how I'm going to manage to decorate my room, let alone the rest of the house."

"I've never decorated anything either," Trinity smirked, "I heard that there are furniture stores that sell entire rooms, taking out the guess work. We could try that or we could hire a decorator and turn them loose with the money."

Harry looked at the egg roll he'd just taken a bite of and wrinkled his nose. He carefully placed it on the side of his plate away from his other food. He'd never had Chinese before so they'd ordered a little bit of everything. So far the egg rolls were the only thing he'd tried that he didn't like. As far as he could tell Trinity liked it all.

"I kind of like the idea going and picking out the rooms ourselves. I think that hiring a decorator is too impersonal. Even if picking out the furniture a room at a time is impersonal, it's not as bad as having someone else do it for us."

"So we'll go to a furniture store tomorrow then?" Trinity asked before using chopsticks to eat rice without losing a single grain. Harry wasn't brave enough to try the chopsticks yet. That was something that could wait for the privacy of their own home.

Harry stifled a sigh. They had been on the move since they get here and he was starting to feel it. His aches started earlier and hurt more each day. He really wanted to just relax. Getting the house ready was important, he knew that, but surely they didn't have to rush. But he wouldn't say any of that. He didn't want to disappoint his sister or not be able to keep up. And in his experience family tended to react poorly when he couldn't keep up and do what was expected of him.

Trinity looked up from her rice and tilted her head to study him when he didn't answer right away. Her brow furrowed slightly, "What's wrong?"

Harry quickly shook his head. "Nothing's wrong. Just thinking about furniture."

Trinity sighed heavily as she looked him over with concern. "I know we don't know each very well yet. I don't expect you to share every thought and feeling with me right away," she spoke softly, "But, please, don't lie to me Harry. If something is bothering you I want to know. I can't fix it if I don't know what it is."

Harry put his fork down and stared down at the table. It wasn't often that he was asked about his problems. At least not by someone who was actually interested, who wanted to help him. Usually when someone asked if he was okay they didn't want an honest answer. So when he said he was fine they took it at face value and never bothered to dig any deeper. He honestly couldn't remember anyone ever being sincerely interested in what was bothering him.

He swallowed the lump in his throat before looking up at Trinity. She was waiting patiently for him to decide if he was going to be honest or not. There was no condemnation in her eyes. She wasn't going to force him to tell the truth. And he could see that she would accept whatever answer he gave her whether it was the one she wanted of not.

"I don't want to go shopping," he said in a rush, "We've been going nonstop since we got here. I'm tired and I'm hurting. All I want to do is relax for a couple of days."

Trinity gave him a look so full of understanding that he wanted to look away from her. She reached out and placed her hand on his forearm. "Then we won't go shopping. We can hang out here and read or go to the beach if the weather holds. We can relax the whole week if you'd like."

Harry flushed at the earnest words. "You could go without me if you want. I won't mind."

Trinity shook her head hard. "Oh no, I'm not shopping by myself. I'm not going through that torture all by myself. I hate shopping."

Harry snorted before he started laughing. He laid his hand over hers while shaking his head. "I think you might be the only girl I've ever met that doesn't like to shop."

"Most of my clothing and shoes are made in the palace in Karant. With all the fittings that come with that convenience, it's a special kind of annoying. Any actual shopping that I need done I usually send someone else to take care of it. I've been shopping in New York and Paris among other places in this world and was not impressed," she huffed out a laugh of her own, "I've never been food shopping though. Maybe that'll be different."

"I've never actually been any kind of shopping, other than for my school stuff, before so I'm not sure how much I would enjoy it," Harry was still laughing softly, "All I know right now is I'm not up to it."

"So we'll chill the rest of the night and find something nice and peaceful to do over the next few days."

With that decided they went back to their dinner and started sharing stories about their friends and school days. None of his wild adventures that everyone knew about, just simple things he did with his friends. Like sneaking into the kitchens or going into Hogsmede. She did find the invisible snowball attack on Malfoy and his friends hilarious. She told him about wondering the corridors and slipping out into the Forbidden Forest because Ash wanted to learn about all the creatures that lived there. She and her friends giving Snape purple hair for three days was a story he enjoyed greatly.

"The Weasley twins thought we'd done it on purpose," Trinity was giggling as she started cleaning up their dinner, "We weren't going to tell them otherwise. They spent most of their first year trying to live up to our accident."

Harry sniggered as he settled back in his chair, "Why didn't we ever hear about this? It would have made potions much more fun if I could have pictured him with purple hair."

"I think Snape demanded some sort of gag order spell be cast over the entire school because no one ever really talked about it when school started back again. And for us it was a mistake, not something to brag about."

Trinity cleaned up their takeout containers and hurried off to throw them out. When Harry thought about it, his sister was a princess. He was sure that most royalty had servants who cleaned up after them. He couldn't see Malfoy picking up after himself. But, so far, Trinity didn't act like any of the spoiled purebloods he'd met.

She wore muggle clothes as if she'd been raised in them. She shared a room with him even though she didn't have too. She helped him when he was stiff in the mornings and couldn't quite manage it himself. She kept their room clean and always cleaned up after they ate. He'd never seen her talk down to anyone. She smiled and joked and laughed. He wondered if she was different when she was at home being a princess full time.

When Trinity returned she was carrying his book. He took it eagerly with a smile, "Thanks."

"You're welcome," she sat down next to him with a stack of papers.

It was quiet, save for the sounds of turning pages, for a few minutes before Harry's curiosity got the better of him. "What's that?" he asked.

"The trade agreement between Karant and the leaders of the magical world here," she answered without looking up, "My mother asked me to look over it since I'm making my life here. See if it needs to be adjusted or gotten rid of. Eventually I'll have to set up a meeting with all of the ministers and presidents to see where we stand."

"Sounds like a pain in the arse."

Trinity snorted before smiling at him. "Technically we don't need the agreement. Karant rules over every magic user no matter what world they're in. We could simply take whatever we wanted. But the wand-wielders are the most human and least powerful of all of our subjects. Aside from a few bits of communications this world is cut off from Karant. The people themselves can't cross dimensions and we're not really bothered by that. Karant exists in another world because humans have proven themselves untrustworthy from the moment of their creation. But we do care about them. Establishing trade agreements allows them to strengthen their economy and protection agreements are there to keep them safe."

"Karant is supposed to protect us?" Harry asked incredulously, "So what happened with that?"

Trinity sighed and looked away from the papers to focus on him. "The war hadn't started when I returned to Karant. Our knowledge depends on what the people here tell us. Dumbledore had the means to contact my mother and he didn't. He also hid or destroyed the communication device she gave him. As for why the ministry didn't contact, us that is something that I will be looking into as soon as we're settled in here. For that matter, someone outside of Britain could have contacted us too. We could also have done a better job of checking up the goings on here."

Harry thought about this. Dumbledore had pinned all of the hopes of ending the war on a child. He wouldn't have wanted outside interference. He saw his path to the greater good as the best and only option. And the problem with the ministry was glaringly obvious. "Yeah, counting on Fudge to do anything was probably not the best choice. He hid his head in the sand about Riddle's return for over a year and when he was forced out of office we were at war. And then Dumbledore died and the ministry was taken over. Even Hogwarts fell into the hands of the Death Eaters at one point."

"I am sorry that it went that way. And I will definitely be talking to my mother about assigning an ambassador to this world so that something like this never happens again. What happened with Riddle is completely unacceptable. And the fact that the fate of the war was placed on the shoulders of a child is absolutely horrifying."

She was upset, honestly horrified, by the entire mess. "What bothers you the most about the war?" he asked out of curiosity.

Without hesitation she said, "That my little brother had to fight a monster and I wasn't there to help him or put a stop to it."

Harry's eyebrows shot clear up to his hairline. "I still don't understand that. How can you feel that strongly about me? You don't even know me."

Trinity put the papers down on the table and took both of his hands in hers. "I know all I need to know. You are kind and brave and slightly reckless and resilient and have a bigger capacity to love than anyone I've ever met. I know that you are my brother and I love you because of that. I will do anything to protect you because of that. And now we have the time to get to know each other and then I can love and protect you for more than you simply being my brother. Does that make any sense to you?"

Harry bit his lip and shook his head. "I don't know how families are supposed to work. I've never felt the kind of love you're taking about. No one has ever cared about me simply because I'm me. So I don't understand what you feel," he swallowed hard, "But I want to."

Trinity gently cupped his scarred cheek and gave him a slightly watery smile, "Then I'll do my best to help you understand."

Harry gave her his own watery smile. He'd left England with a practical stranger on a whim. She was right about him being reckless. She could have been anyone, even a Death Eater in disguise. He'd blindly, recklessly trusted a stranger on the word of one of his least favorite people. A man he'd spent most of his childhood distrusting. But he was also one of the few people who hadn't forgotten about him after the war so that was something.

"I'll do my best to learn."

HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP

The sun was bright today. It was the first time Forks had seen the sun in a couple of weeks. It was a warm, beautiful summer day. It was a perfect day for going to the beach. And if Trinity had influenced the weather, well she wasn't going to tell. Harry had never been to the beach and she was going to do everything in her power to make sure he had the best day possible.

She parked in the small lot next to First Beach and smiled at Harry. "What do you think?"

Harry was staring out across the stretch of sand to the ocean. "It's stunning. Let's get closer," he was brimming with excitement.

Trinity grinned before getting out of the car. She reached into the back seat and grabbed the picnic basket Mrs. Miller had been kind enough to prepare for them. The woman had caught the end of their conversation last night and she'd been feeling very sentimental and generous this morning. Offering directions and a picnic with an understanding smile.

By the time Trinity had the basket and their towels Harry was out of the car and standing at the edge of the sand. "I'm not sure I can walk across the sand," the uncertainty in his voice made her heart ache just a little.

"We'll play it by ear. I'll walk beside you. I can't really levitate you because someone might see," she spoke as she came to a stop beside him, "Or I can go put our things down and come back to carry you."

The fact that he actually considered both options said a lot about how much he doubted his footing. "I'll try option A and we'll see how it goes. Sound good?" he looked at her with eyes filled with insecurity.

Trinity shifted everything to one arm and offered the other to Harry. He took it with a small grateful smile. Together they started to cross the beach very slowly. His steps were shaky. The cane didn't help very much so he was mostly using her for support. Trinity didn't mind because he was still walking.

"We really need to look into getting that hip fixed," she said after a few minutes.

Harry snorted. "The best healers in Britain couldn't do anything about it. Dark curses are nearly impossible to fix. So this is about as good as my body is going to get," his voice was hard and bitter.

"You haven't met the healers that I have access to," she replied with a smirk.

A few more minutes of silence passed before she spoke again, "How exactly were you injured anyway?"

Harry was quiet for so long she thought that he wasn't going to answer. They continued across the beach looking for a good place to settle down. She was trying to act like she didn't care if he answered but she wasn't sure if she was pulling it off. She didn't want to put any pressure on him to share. He'd had enough pressure in his life without her adding to it.

"A Death Eater, Yaxley I think, cast some sort of cutting and blasting combo. Something that he cobbled together on the fly and should never have worked as well as it did. It fucked up my entire left side from my face to my knee. I lost some bone and muscle in my hip which is why it's so bad. The scars are pretty nasty and they probably always will be. The healers have done everything they can. Other than some strengthening exercises there is nothing left that can help."

Trinity pulled them stop and motioned to the patch of sand in front of them. When Harry nodded she let him go to pull the blanket from the basket and spread it out. She was quick about it and hurriedly helped Harry to sit. He kicked his sandals off and shimmied himself all the way onto the blanket. After kicking her own shoes off she joined him.

"Would you object to seeing a healer that I know? One that's worth twenty wizard healers," Trinity questioned as she looked him in the eyes.

Harry inhaled sharply before looking away from her. His unblinking gaze focused on the water while he chewed on his bottom lip. Trinity respected his need to think and started setting out their lunch. Mrs. Miller had made fried chicken, potato salad, corn bread, and chocolate pudding. Maybe she'd heard more of their conversation than she thought. There was no way she could have just thrown this together in the fifteen minutes between Trinity asking for directions and when she handed over the basket.

"I'm afraid to get my hopes up," Harry whispered, "Hope has never been my friend Trinity."

Trinity found a thermos full of tea, plates, cups and silverware. "How about I do the hoping for the both of us and you can humor your optimistic sister," she suggested softly.

Harry sighed heavily before turning to serve himself lunch. Trinity waited for him to take what he wanted before she did the same. They were quiet while they ate. The chances of him seeing a healer weren't looking good and she wouldn't force the issue. And she would wait to bring it up again for a while. Today was supposed to be a fun and relaxing day. She wouldn't bring up anything stressful up for the rest of the day.

"One," Harry spoke out of the blue between bites of chicken.

"Huh?" was her eloquent response.

"I'll see one healer. That's it," Harry explained himself, "So you'd better make it your best."

Her answering grin made the sun seem dim. But all she said was, "Do you want to get into the ocean after we eat?"

"Swimming?" he was stunned, "Do you think I can swim?"

"Sure," Trinity shrugged, "Water makes you practically weightless. The ocean is calm enough. We should be fine as long as we don't go too far out. I can swim well enough to save you."

They finished eating in comfortable silence. Both were enjoying the sun. Harry having shut himself away for months and living in England didn't get much opportunity to simply bask in the sun. And Trinity missed the more moderate climate of Karant. As Karant wasn't a coastal country so she was enjoying the beach for the first time in years.

Once they were finished Trinity repacked the basket, reminding herself to thank Mrs. Miller again. "So you ready to try swimming?" she asked as soon as she was finished.

Harry looked out over the water and gave a slow, slightly crooked smile, "Yes."


	4. Chapter 4

_**Chapter Four**_

Harry laughed as a wave crashed into him where he was sitting in the shallow water at the edge of the beach. Swimming had been fun and easier than he'd expected but he'd tired fairly quickly. So he'd come in to rest for a bit. This was as far as he could get without help. Trinity had offered to help him but he turned her down. Even tired he wanted to stay in the water as long as he could.

Trinity was still swimming. He watched her and couldn't help but smile at her antics. She loved the water and she was an excellent swimmer. This had been a better day than he could ever have hoped for. Fun and sun and laughter. He'd never seen anyone as good at balancing coddling and giving space. And for someone who didn't know him very well she was good at making him smile.

Even before the war had come to a head he'd had trouble smiling. After the battle and his injuries he'd sunk almost completely into depression. For months Kreacher had been his only companion. Snape and Pomfrey had to practically force their way inside. Both of them were too stubborn to give upon him. Everyone else had either stopped bothering with him or hadn't even tried to begin with.

Trinity hadn't even given him a chance to tell her she couldn't visit. Now he was glad that she hadn't let Snape tell her no. Or she'd ignored Snape when he'd told her that Harry didn't want visitors. Right now, he couldn't help but be thankful for all three of them.

He was at the beach. He had a sister. He was just about as far away from England as he could get. He had a new home and he was starting a new life. As he sat here in the sun, in water that was probably a little too cold, he couldn't even be bothered by the scars that marred his body. And he had the feeling that all of this was going to help heal the scars on the inside.

He was still having nightmares. When he'd first learned that he and Trinity were going to be sharing a room he'd been worried. He hadn't wanted to disturb her with his restless movements and screams. Silencing charms had always been his go-to while in school so he hadn't hesitated to use them the first night. Apparently they didn't work on Trinity.

He'd been surprised when she'd woken him from his nightmare. The only thing she'd told him was not to hide behind his charm before she'd returned to her own bed. She'd woken him from his nightmares every night since. She didn't ask for details but she offered to listen whenever he was ready to talk about it. He wasn't ready yet but it was nice to know that she was there. Now that they wouldn't be sharing a room anymore he was a little worried about the nights. He was going to be on his own again and even if he wouldn't say it out loud, it scared him a little.

He let out another surprised laugh when he was hit by another wave and water got up his nose. This wasn't the time or the place for dark thoughts. He didn't think the ocean was going to let him sink into them. Trinity turned at the sound of his laugh. She grinned and waved. She waited for Harry to return the gesture before diving back under the water.

He was thinking about swimming again when deep, loud laughter caught his attention. Harry whipped his head toward the sound, suddenly tense at the thought of strangers. There were five very large men horsing around towards the other end of the beach. They were laughing and shoving each other into the surf. They were all shirtless and their copper toned skin gleamed in the sunlight. Their black hair was all cut into practically the same cut, almost military short.

As curious as he was about them, Harry still didn't want them to come over here. He was in no position to defend himself like this. He couldn't get up on his own and even if he managed to get to his feet, he wouldn't be able to walk. He hated being this vulnerable. He had always been a fighter and not being able to defend himself was the worst part of being injured.

Tearing his eyes away from the group, he searched frantically for Trinity. He needed to be on his feet. He needed not to feel so damned vulnerable. He couldn't see her. Harry was starting to have trouble catching his breath. When the next wave crashed into him he nearly choked on the water which didn't help matters any. Spots were starting to appear in his vision and he cast another panicked glance at the men. He was going to pass out and drown or those ever nearing men were going to attack or they would just watch him struggle and laugh or...

"Harry!" Trinity practically shouted from where she was kneeling next to him. She didn't touch him, something he was grateful for, as she pulled him out of his panic attack. "Are you ok?" she asked once she was sure she had his attention.

Nodding his head, Harry pulled in much needed oxygen. "Strangers... defenseless," he forced out while he worked on catching his breath.

Trinity looked down the beach where the group had come to a stop at her shout. They looked both curious and concerned now. Harry wasn't too keen on having their attention. Trinity sighed in quiet understanding. "Come on," she stood and offered both hands, "Let's at least get back to the blanket."

Harry reached up and gripped her forearms as she took hold of his. Getting his good leg in position to bear his weight was a struggle. Once it was in place he pushed while Trinity pulled. It wasn't graceful or easy on the shifting sand but they managed to get him up after a couple of tries. The others were too close for them to safely use magic to assist their efforts.

He breathed a sigh of relief once he was on his feet. Trinity took his arm with a solid grip on his upper and lower arm to make sure he had her support. Then they started the seemingly long trek to the blanket. Harry tried to calm himself along the way. He was a bloody Gryffindor for Merlin's sake. The war was over and anyone who might wish him harm had no idea where he was. Not everyone was an enemy. He had to remember that or this move was going to be useless.

"So, do you want to relax for a while or do you want to call it a day?" Trinity asked once she felt him beginning to get a hold of himself.

Harry thought about it as he looked at the men who had started move again, angling directly at them. Taking a fortifying breath, he said, "Let's rest for a bit. No reason to end the day halfway through."

"Good." Harry could hear the pride coloring her voice.

The group caught up with them well before they reached their blanket. Harry closed his eyes for just a moment and breathed deep. This wasn't going to be that bad. Everything was going to be fine. He expected to stop to be polite but Trinity kept him moving. She didn't want to stop him until they were next to the blanket.

"Hey," one of the men called out in a deep voice.

HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP

Paul Lahote was having a good day. The weather was perfect. He'd finished the artistic work on a commissioned chair that was going to pay the bills for an entire month. He had the time to enjoy the beach with his pack. Emily was cooking a big dinner tonight. And, other than the Cullens, there had been no vampires spotted in the area. Sam had even cut down on the patrols so he'd been able to get a decent night's sleep for once.

They were taking turns shoving each other into the water, not really paying attention to the other beach goers, when a woman shouting caught his attention. It wasn't that she was shouting. Normal people tended to shout at the beach, whether from the coldness of the water or while playing around. It was the urgency in her tone as she shouted.

Paul looked up so he could spot the shouting woman. She might need help and he was always willing to help a woman in need. He saw her out in the ocean and at first he thought she might be in danger of drowning but she was staring at the beach as she hurried toward shore. Following her eye line he saw the boy sitting just out of the water.

He was sitting with his right leg bent and the left stuck straight out. His wet black hair was plastered to his head and what skin he could see was milk white. He was wearing long swimming trunks and a matching swim shirt. He was clutching his shirt in a white-knuckled grip and looked like he was having trouble catching his breath.

"Harry!" the woman shouted as she burst out of the water and hurried over to the boy.

Her black and red hair was slicked back from her face and Paul could see the worry written all over it. Her skin, while pale, wasn't nearly as pale as the boy's, who he assumed was Harry. She was wearing a modest green one-piece that showed much more than Harry's clothes. His eyes widened as he took in the tattoos on her arms and one leg. He was distracted from his inspection of her when the boy let out a choking gasp.

She fell to her knees beside him and reached for him but stopped just short of actually touching him. "Harry!" she shouted loud enough that it hurt his sensitive ears even from this distance.

The loudness seemed to break through whatever was happening to Harry. Her final shout had finally caught the attention of the others. Now they were all watching the odd pair. He didn't have to read their minds to know that they were all just as concerned and curious as he was. Paul strained to hear what was being said between the two but they were speaking too quietly now.

He didn't miss the quick glance that was thrown towards the pack before the woman moved to help the boy to his feet. The boy moved slowly and gripped the woman hard enough that it should bruise. Getting to your feet shouldn't be that hard. Once he was finally up the woman moved so that she was practically supporting all of his weight.

"I think we scared him," Seth spoke from just behind him.

Paul turned to look at the frowning boy. Seth didn't like being thought of as frightening. He was such a happy-go-lucky kid and tried to be friends with everybody. He was like an overgrown puppy most days and right now he looked like someone had kicked him. As much as the kid annoyed him some days, he didn't like seeing any of his pack mates hurt.

"I don't think so. He probably swallowed some water or something," Paul said gruffly, not the best at offering comfort, "Anyone know who they are?"

Jacob, Quil, and Embry shook their heads.

"Never seen them before," Jacob offered. He spent more time in Forks than the others with his dad being friends with the police chief.

"Not like you could forget either of them," Embry tossed in his two cents, "Especially her."

Paul agreed. "Let's go introduce ourselves and see if they need any help."

Quil snorted, "You just want to get a closer look at her."

With a sly grin Paul lead the way to the slow moving pair. It looked like the boy had a bad leg, must be why he had such a hard time getting up. "Hey," was what he said when they caught up to them.

The woman, who really couldn't be that much older than the boy, glanced at them so quickly that most would have missed it. He was struck dumb by the shocking blue of her eyes. A feeling that was chased away quickly by disappointment. Not meant for him then. He shrugged it off, didn't mean they couldn't have fun in the mean time.

When she didn't reply Paul struggled not to be annoyed. Such a little thing shouldn't spark his temper. He was working on it but he still had a long way to go before his temper wouldn't be an issue. And it wasn't like she'd ignored him. She just looked a little preoccupied at the moment.

"Need any help?" Seth asked with an eagerness that verged on embarrassing.

Another quick glance was followed by an equally quick negative shake of her head. The boy's shoulders had tensed at the offer of help. He said nothing but Paul could practically smell the injured pride. So he gestured for Seth to be quiet while they followed the pair. After a few minutes the group reached a blanket with a delicious smelling picnic basket sitting in the middle.

The duo stopped moving. "Do you want to sit?" she asked in a slightly husky voice with a light accent that he'd never heard before. It was clear that she wasn't talking to them.

The boy nodded quickly. "Why did I think coming to the beach was a good idea?" his accent was definitely English.

"It's great fun as long as you don't have to cross sand," she spoke as she maneuvered him around and helped him ease down.

She made it look easy. Paul couldn't even detect her muscles straining. Even as slender as the boy was she should have strained a little. Maybe she had a lot of practice helping the kid around. Paul spotted a fancy cane next to the blanket. Whatever was wrong with the kid probably wasn't new.

Once Harry was settled she turned to face them, placing herself between them and Harry. "Good day," her red lips formed a welcoming smile, "Was there something you needed?"

"Not really," Jacob answered her, "We just wanted to welcome you to La Push and introduce ourselves."

"That's nice," she looked each of them over, "Are you part of the tribe then?"

Seth nodded eagerly, reminding Paul of a bobble head, "Yeah. I'm Seth, and they're Jacob, Quil, Embry, and Paul." He pointed to each of them in turn.

Her gaze moved over each of them before she said, "I'm Trinity and this is my brother Harry."

Those blue eyes hardened in warning even as she stepped slightly to the side so they could see the kid. Harry wasn't very tall, 5'8" or so. Maybe that was considered average for normal people, Paul wasn't sure. He could have passed for stone, he was holding himself so rigidly. He seemed to be fighting the desire to make himself look smaller. Paul had to fight the urge to gasp when he saw the scars on his neck and face. This was what the warning had been about. They couldn't react to the scars or Trinity would send them on their way faster than you could say werewolf.

Harry was a handsome boy. Even Paul could see that. The unmarked side of his face was probably as close to perfection as a male ever got. Paul had to physically bite his tongue to keep from asking what happened. It was none of his business. And his pack mates seemed to feel the same way. After all, they spent a lot of time with Emily. She and Sam both hated it when people drew too much attention to her scars.

When they didn't say anything Trinity looked at them with approval. "It's nice to meet you both," Quil smiled.

Harry looked up with wide eyes even as he offered his own smile. "Nice to meet you too. You're the first we've met other than Mrs. Miller and the realtor."

"Are you moving here?" Embry asked, "Nobody moves here."

Harry nodded. "We just bought a place outside of town. Julie says the property runs right to the reservation. It's too big for us but it felt right."

"That's cool," Paul spoke up. He couldn't help but feel a little envious. It would be nice to be able to buy a house even if it was too big. He shook the feeling off quickly. He had everything he needed and he didn't need more than that.

Harry turned his gaze to Paul and he found himself looking into the greenest eyes he'd ever seen. Something intense rushed through his system and everything changed. The ropes that bound him to the Earth fell away and were replaced by steel cables tying him to this boy. His breath caught in his chest as his heart started to race. He couldn't tear his eyes away from the boy that was suddenly his everything.

Boy...boy...boy... He'd imprinted on a boy! That couldn't be possible. He wasn't gay. He'd never even looked at a guy that way. Never even thought about it. This was wrong. Something had to be very wrong. As his emotions swirled into chaos he felt his skin ripple. Oh no. He couldn't shift now!

Paul tore his eyes away from Harry as he tried to force the shift away. It wasn't working. Mumbling something about needing to get back to work, he turned on heel and ran. His friends shouted after him but he ignored them. As he burst into the trees and shifted all he could think was his great day had been shot to hell.

HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP

Trinity watched the big man run off in surprise. Something had happened to send him running but she wasn't quite sure what. He had handled Harry's scars amazingly well. So it wasn't that. And she didn't think it was normal behavior for him. His friends seemed just as surprised by his actions as she and Harry were.

"Um..." Jacob turned back to Trinity, "I guess he had to finish something."

"If I'd known he wasn't done for the day I never would've drug him out of the shop," Seth pouted just a little.

Harry had paled a bit at the abrupt departure. He picked up his cane and started rolling it between his hands. "Probably couldn't stand looking at me," he mumbled under his breath.

Trinity narrowed her eyes at Harry before reaching down to lightly smack him in the back of the head. His head shot up and he looked at her in shock. "That is enough of that little brother. He had no trouble looking at you. None of them do. You get that notion out of your head right this minute," she ordered in a tone that brooked no argument.

Harry's mouth opened and closed as he struggled for something to say. In the end he just stuck his tongue out at her before giving a shy smile. Trinity returned the smile before she sat down next to him and looked at the others. "Feel free to sit," she motioned to the blanket around them.

Seth was the first to take her up on the offer. She'd had the feeling he would be. She could also tell that Jacob would be the last. He seemed like the shyest one of the bunch. Quil sat, followed by Embry and Jacob sat directly on the sand. There wasn't enough room on the blanket without crowding Harry.

"What do you guys do?" she asked after a moment.

"We're all in school," Seth answered as his eyes drifted to the basket, "It's summer break right now though."

Trinity's brows went up, "How old are you?"

"16," Seth told her with a grin, "They're all 17 and Paul is 18. How about you guys?"

They looked like full grown men already. How odd. There was something about these boys that tickled her senses, like they weren't quite human. It was something she was going to have to look into at some point. "I'm 21 and Harry's 18," was all she said.

"Are you going to go to Forks High Harry?" Jacob asked.

Harry shrugged, "Probably not. What little schooling I have to finish I'll be doing from home. There's really n reason for me to go to school. And I don't think I'd be able to move around easy enough to attend anyway."

The boys left that statement alone. She was glad. It wasn't the only reason Harry didn't know about going to school. He would have to do a lot of catching up to be able to attend muggle school. His regular education was severely lacking. It was something they really should fix at Hogwarts considering how many muggleborns attended. Not being able to keep up with the muggle world was a big oversight, even for those who had never set foot in the muggle world.

As they continued to talk to the boys she noticed how often their eyes drifted to the basket. She looked at Harry and saw that he'd noticed too. Biting back a smile, Trinity brought the basket forward and offered it to them. "There isn't much left but you're more than welcome to it."

She and Harry both laughed softly as the boys fell on the basket like they were starving. As she listened to Harry laugh she couldn't help but think that this had been a great day.


	5. Chapter 5

___**Chapter Five**_

"How about this set?" Trinity asked as they looked at the stunning dark gray living room set that came with glass topped tables and two beautiful table lamps.

Harry eased himself down onto the long couch and stretched out. Trinity smiled. He had done this for every set they considered. He was testing for room and comfort. The salesman was extremely patient with his testing. Considering they were furnishing their entire house, the money that they were spending pretty much guaranteed patience.

They'd already picked out the furnishings for the bedrooms and the dining room. Each bedroom had it's own suit. The dining room table came with comfortable chairs and enough room to seat twelve if they added the leaves. Trinity was sure that the salesman was in commission heaven by this point.

After a minute Harry carefully got back up and shook his head. Trinity nodded and they moved on to the next living room set. It had a red L-shaped sectional that had a two recliners on one side and a long sofa on the other. There was a matching storage ottoman and two tables with lamps. Harry stretched out on the sofa part before trying one of the recliners.

"This one is perfect," he told her with a smile.

She turned to the salesman, "We'll take this set."

"The tables and lamps don't come with the sectional," the man said nervously, like he was afraid this one little thing was going to cost him their business.

"We'll take them anyway," she gave a firm nod, "I think we've got every room done now. We'll have to go elsewhere for the linens and appliances and such. The flooring is fine but we're going to have to arrange painters for tomorrow. So can you have the furniture delivered in 3 days?"

The salesman nodded eagerly. "I'll just go add up your bill." Then he was gone.

"Do you think you can do all the other house shopping without me?" Harry sounded tired and pained, "With all this running around we've been doing I think I need a day or so to just sit and do nothing."

Trinity nodded, "Sure. Just tell me what color to have your room painted and I'll take care of the rest. You're not picky about sheets, curtains and dishes, are you?"

Harry shook his head, "Not even a little bit." He pointed to a wall to his right that was painted a nice soft blue, "As for paint color, I like that one a lot."

"Good," Trinity noted the color and she thought it suited him, "With everything sorted out we should be in our new home in about four days. Think you can handle the B&B for that long?"

Harry nodded as the salesman returned with her total. She passed over her credit card and followed the man to where she could sign. The day and time for delivery were quickly arranged and soon she and Harry were on their way.

"I was thinking of asking the boys we met yesterday if they would like to do the painting. Fairly certain I can trust them with a key so that neither of us has to get up early to deal with strangers."

Harry shot her an incredulous look, "We just met them. Don't they still qualify as strangers we shouldn't let into the house unattended?"

Trinity simply smiled, "There's something about them that screams trustworthy. Plus I'd rather give my money to teenagers who'll work hard for it than professionals who charge by the hour to sit on their arse."

Harry snorted at her assessment. "I'll just have to trust your judgment."

"You really should," Trinity told him with a grin.

HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP

"You do beautiful work," a soft voice drifted across Paul's workshop.

Paul dropped the chisel he was using on the workbench beside him and stood up. "Thanks," Paul dusted his hands off on his jeans as he made his way to the front of his building, "How can I help you?"

He rounded a table that he was working on in his spare time and stopped dead in his tracks. He blinked as he looked at the woman standing there. "Trinity, what are you doing here?" he blurted without thinking. He looked around for Harry and cursed himself for being disappointed that he wasn't there. It was all he could do to keep from asking about him.

"I asked Chief Swan where I could find you. It was surprisingly easy considering I didn't have a last name to work with," she told him as she looked at a mirror he had finished a few weeks ago, "Small town living I suppose. As for why I'm here I was wondering if you and your friends would like to make some extra money."

Paul blinked in surprise. It wasn't what he was expecting from her. He was expecting her to demand an explanation for his behavior the other day. His pack mates were confused too. He'd been avoiding them and had begged off patrolling. Since he never had before Sam had let it slide but he wasn't sure how long that was going to last. As a member of the pack he was expected to pull his weight protecting the tribe. He was hoping he would be able to push the issue of imprinting to the back of his mind until he was ready to discuss it.

"What do you have in mind?" he asked before the silence could stretch too long.

"Nothing too terrible I assure you," Trinity finally looked away from the mirror, "We need the house painted. And I've never cared for professionals. They're quite annoying when it comes down to it. I'll pay you a fair wage but I need it done by tomorrow night. Which I'm sure professionals wouldn't be able to manage. The five of you and anyone else you think you might need to get it done. I'll pay everyone and provided meals."

"You're right about pros not being able to get it done that fast without charging an arm and a leg and probably a lung. I'm sure I can round up the guys and get it done for you," Paul moved closer to her, "but are you sure you want to feed us? We eat a lot. High metabolisms all around."

"It won't be a problem and I'm sure the local restaurants will appreciate the business," Trinity grinned. She reached into her front pocket while she rattled off the address. She passed him a key, "I've already picked out the paint and the cans are in the right rooms so there shouldn't be any guess work there. You lot can call up any restaurant in town and give them your order. I've arranged for delivery and they all have information so they can charge me."

Paul looked down at the key, slightly bewildered, before looking back at her, "You're giving a key to someone you've just met?"

"Yes. Are you telling me that my trust has been misplaced?"

He shook his head vehemently. "No, of course not. It's just strange is all."

"Good," she turned back to the mirror, "Has this been sold yet?"

The quick change of topic threw him for a minute. He had to shake his head to clear it. "No, not yet."

If she smiled any wider her face might crack. "Great. Bring this with you when you head to the house and I'll buy it off you."

Paul nodded. "Will do. Do you need anything else?"

Trinity gave him a look that made him feel like she could see through him. He suppressed the urge to shiver. There was no way he was going to admit that this woman freaked him out a little. And he wasn't even going to admit to himself that he didn't find her attractive anymore.

"It's alright you know," she said after staring at him for a full, uncomfortable minute.

"Excuse me?" he asked, slightly concerned about where she was going with this.

"It's alright to be attracted to Harry, even if you've never found a man attractive before," she spoke gently and quietly, "Just don't pursue him unless you're ready to be with a man."

And with that statement she turned to go, leaving him with his mouth hanging open. He couldn't manage a single word even as she called out one last reminder about the painting job. How could she have known? The guys that had been inside his head for over a year now didn't see what she'd seen. Was he that obvious? This is why he'd been avoiding shifting and hanging out with the pack. He didn't want anyone to know, at least not yet.

He knew there was no way for him to avoid being with his imprint. Even now he was constantly fighting the compulsion to seek Harry out. Fighting the urge to announce to the world that he'd found his other half, the one person in the entire world that would make him whole. He would have to give in to his nature eventually, he knew that. But how was he going to explain this to the pack, to the elders, when he didn't even know the explanation himself?

HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP

"Nice place," Sam, the alpha of his pack, said as he slammed the door on his truck.

Paul got out of the other side and stared up at the place. He was more impressed than he wanted to be. "Harry did say it was bigger than they needed," he said, digging the key out of his pocket.

Sam made a noise of agreement while the others climbed out of the truck bed. Jared, Quil, Embry, Jacob, Seth, and Leah (to the annoyance of everyone who wasn't Seth) had all come along to help. The youngest of both packs had stayed behind to keep an eye on La Push. Emily had come too, just to spend time with Sam.

As for Sam, he was curious about the brother and sister who had moved in. Paul wasn't even sure that either one would be here. Why would Trinity give him the key if she was planning to be here? And if the entire house had to be painted Paul was positive that there were no personal effects in the place yet.

The sun was barely up so they had all day to work. And with the amount of rooms this place must have there was a good chance he wouldn't have to spend too much time in Leah's company. She'd been ok before she joined the pack or, to be truthful, before Sam had imprinted on Emily. Now she was surly and abrasive at the best of times. She was probably going to be even worse than normal today with Emily being with them. Honestly she made Paul seem sweet most days.

They went into the house and had a look around before they got started. There were cans of paint in each room along with brushes, rollers, paint trays, tarps, tape and even step ladders should they need them. Seems like Trinity had taken care of everything but the actual work.

Paul found a note on the counter and read it aloud:

 _Boys and possibly girls,_

 _I'm pretty sure that I got everything you needed. It was what the man at the hardware store said you would need anyway. If I have forgotten something just call the store. They'll charge me for it later and they will deliver it. The electricity is on if you find yourselves needing it._

 _As I told Paul, whenever you get hungry pick a restaurant and call in your order. Any restaurant. They will have someone bring it to you unless you'd prefer to get it yourselves. Personally I've always preferred delivery, but I'm a fan of staying in as much as possible. They have all agreed to make a tab for me so order as much as you wish. And this does cover every meal you wish to eat while you're working in my home. So don't go starving yourselves. And Harry told me that I should provided drinks so the refrigerator has a good selection. Drink as much as you like because Harry and I will never drink that much soda and we'll want to put food in there eventually._

 _As for when I'll show, I have no idea. Do not expect me before noon. I absolutely cannot function before mid-morning, and even then I have to have an alarming amount of coffee. That reminds me, there is some sort of cold coffee in the refrigerator too. This seems unnatural to me so if you don't like it please take it to someone who will drink it._

 _Have fun today. I think there's some sort of radio thing that goes to the entire house. If you can figure out how to work the thing have at it. I hope Paul remembered to bring that mirror I wanted with him. And do be careful, no injuries if you can help it. I look forward to seeing you again or meeting you as the case may be._

 _Thanks ever so much,_

 _Trinity._

"She sounds crazy," Leah said as she opened the fridge and got a look at the contents, "And I think she went overboard with the drinks, even for us."

Paul peeked over her shoulder and snorted. He wasn't sure how she'd gotten so many drinks in there but he was impressed. "At least we won't go thirsty," he said, reaching past her for a can of Coke. As far as he was concerned she was right about cold coffee being unnatural.

Seth pulled out his phone and looked at them, "Does anyone else want breakfast?"

There was a collective groan about the kid only thinking with his stomach which was quickly followed by a collective yes. After they had that sorted out, they had to wait for it to be delivered. So they separated and claimed a room to work in. Paul found himself in the only bedroom on the bottom floor.

He suppressed a groan when he realized that this was going to be Harry's room. With whatever was wrong with his leg it would have to be. He'd been trying hard not to think about Harry. He was failing but that was beside the point.

Harry was the most beautiful person he'd ever seen, male or female. He seemed shy and a little insecure. Paul was almost positive that they'd caused his breathing trouble at the beach. It was upsetting that his imprint was even a little bit scared of him. Paul wasn't a bad guy. He was working on his temper and he couldn't help that he was as big as he was. Of course Harry didn't know about his temper so it had to be his size that was the problem. If his size was the problem, how was Harry going to deal with him turning into the big bad wolf on a regular basis?

Would Harry even want a relationship with him? The imprinting would make him whatever Harry needed him to be. Friend, brother, lover, protector. When the imprint first took hold attraction was the biggest draw. Unless you imprinted on a child like Quil had. Then the attraction didn't kick in until your imprint was an adult, if it ever did. He'd never heard of an imprint not leading to a mated pair though. And as far as he knew, no one had ever imprinted on the same sex before. Of course there hadn't been wolves among the tribe in nearly a century.

After he grew a pair and talked to Sam about this Paul was going to have to decide how to proceed. He was coming around to the idea of having a relationship with Harry. He wanted to protect him and love him and take away all of his pain. The only thing that could prove to be a problem was whether or not Harry was gay. If he wasn't, it would be a long time before Paul would be able to wrap his head around only being his imprint's friend.

"Food's here!" Jared's voice jarred him out of his thoughts.

He realized that he'd just been standing there thinking. He hadn't even gotten started. He shook his head and went to go get his breakfast. He wasn't being paid to stare at the walls. He was going to have to get moving after he ate. He had to do the best job he'd ever done. He didn't want Harry to be disappointed.

HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP

Trinity came in while they were eating lunch. She walked in and looked around at the first coat of paint in the living room before joining them at the kitchen island. She smiled at them. "It's coming along nicely," she said as she squeezed in between Leah and Jared. She looked between the two of them, "I don't believe I've met either of you."

Paul swallowed quickly. "That's Jared," he pointed, "and Leah is Seth's sister. And over there is Sam and his fiance Emily."

Everyone held their breath as Trinity looked at Sam and Emily. She didn't even flinch at the sight of Emily's scars. Those who had met Harry weren't really surprised. "You boys are lucky to be in the company of such lovely ladies. Or maybe it's the other way around. If the men I deal with on a regular basis looked like you lot I'd never get any work done."

Emily blushed and Leah snorted. "Half of them are jail bait," Leah grumbled, "and I'm too close to the rest as it is."

Trinity laughed. "That would pose a problem. My best friend is one of the most handsome men I've ever seen but the thought of seeing him naked turns my stomach," she shuddered slightly at the thought.

"Really?" Leah turned to look closer at Trinity, "What are the chances of meeting him?"

"Fair I'd say. He's supposed to visit once he gets done terrorizing his sisters. But, fair warning, he's a bit of an ass."

Embry gave a laugh of his own, "He should get along great with Leah then."

Everyone else snickered as Leah reached out and hit Embry over the head, hard. Really, he should know better than to say something like that while in striking distance. They all had been close enough for Leah to hit them on more than one occasion. She may be smaller than the rest of them but the whole wolf thing made her nearly as strong. More than strong enough for her to hurt them.

"I see that you got the radio thing to work," Trinity tilted her head slightly to hear the classic rock that was coming from the speakers in the ceiling, "One of you is going to have to show me how to do that."

"Sure," Seth offered, "How come you don't know how to do it yourself?"

"There was no piped in music in my home. My mother much preferred live music. I'm fairly certain we didn't even own a radio. The boarding schools I attended believed music to be too much of a distraction and when we stayed with my Aunt Pia she preferred silence," Trinity shrugged, "I do believe I could come to like the radio. And Harry mentioned something about television. I'll have to remember to buy one of those. It sounds interesting."

"Did you like boarding school? And how many did you go to?" Quil asked with his mouth full.

Trinity focused her odd blue eyes on the boy before answering. "Four. The first was from age three to seven, the next from seven to eleven, the third from eleven to eighteen, and the last was from eighteen until twenty-one. Though the last was close to my home so I also began dealing with the family business. As for liking it, I suppose I did. I attended with my three closest friends but I rarely saw my mother. I didn't see her at all when I was attending the third school. So my mother is practically a stranger and now that I've left home we're reduced to phone calls that will mostly be about business. I'm well educated at the expense of the relationship I could have had with my mother. And when I have children of my own I'll be expected to honor the same system. In that aspect it leaves much to be desired."

"You poor thing," came from Emily as she clutched Sam's hand. Probably a warning that they would never send their future children away.

"We tend to get to know our parents as adults. Of the four of us only Brex is close to his mother but we're all close to her. The third wasn't a year round school like the others so we stayed with her over the summers. Traveling to our respective homes was too difficult for only a two month stay. Pia is the only one who isn't the head of a family business so she had more freedom than the others. Had she been the head we would have been sent to stay with a trustworthy foster family during the summers," Trinity shrugged as if it was no big deal.

Paul thought it was a very big deal. The pack may not all be close to both parents but they each had at least one parent they could turn to. Suddenly being rich didn't seem that appealing. They may struggle to make ends meet some times and second hand clothes were a necessity more often than not but at least they hadn't been sent away until they were worth something to the family business.

No one seemed to know what to ask. There was some uncomfortable shifting while they all took big bites of their pizza. Trinity didn't seem to notice their discomfort or she chose to ignore it while she reached for a slice of pizza.

"So, um...where's Harry?" Jacob asked after he swallowed. Paul was grateful he asked first. It was something he desperately wanted to know.

"Resting at the B&B. It's been a busy week and his leg is really bothering him. He's decided to hang out there until the house is ready," Trinity told them before biting into her slice.

Paul shifted his weight before asking, "If you don't mind me asking, what happened to him?"

The look she leveled at him made him want to take back the question immediately. But he stood his ground. He wanted to know what was wrong with his imprint. Emily softly admonished him before offering an apology for his rudeness. Trinity ignored her in favor of staring at him.

When he continued to return her gaze she gave a small nod before sighing. "There was an accident that you'll have to ask Harry about. It's not my place to give you the details. But I will tell you the damage was extensive. The scars on his face are the least of it. The doctors he's seen so far say that this is as good as it gets. I'm hoping that the doctor I have in mind will say something different."

Paul nodded even though he wasn't happy with her answer. He was glad that she was protecting Harry's privacy. His imprint deserved a sister willing to protect him. And Paul was sure that if she didn't know about his interest in Harry she wouldn't have even told him that much. It was like she was telling him exactly what he was up against. And that until he grew a pair he didn't deserve to know more. Even now she seemed to be daring him to try and push for more. Paul wasn't stupid. He knew that another question in that direction would end badly for him.

So all he said was, "I hope you doctor is better than the others."

With that sentence he could tell he surprised her even though her face didn't change. Then she smiled and he could see the approval in her eyes. "I hope so too."

"What made you decide to move to Forks?" Embry asked before taking a drink of his water.

"We needed a change after everything," Trinity shrugged, "We threw a dart at a map when we realized that neither of us cared where we ended up. This area felt right so we bought a house. I think this'll be a great place to live. And a big plus is it'll never get too big. Neither of us care for city living. According to just about everyone I've met no one ever moves here."

"That's true," Sam told her, "Most are in a hurry to leave. Why is it you and Harry are moving here without your parents?" Emily smacked his arm for that one.

The sigh she released then was heavy and slightly exasperated. "My mother is tied to the business. There is no relocating for her," her tone hardened ever so slightly, "Our father and Harry's mother are dead and have been for a long time. This is the only question I'll answer concerning our parents. I do not know you well enough to go into to that and when you meet Harry you will not question him about it either. You will not like my reaction if you do Sam. The subject is upsetting, especially for Harry, and he's had enough upset of late. Do you understand me Sam?"

The warning was clear to the entire pack. A chill ran through Paul even as his eyes moved back and forth between the two. The others tensed as they waited for Sam's response. It was clear that Trinity recognized Sam as a leader of some sort. Though Paul didn't know how she did considering how little time she'd spent with them. The question was how Sam was going to react. The alpha in him had to be demanding he put this strange woman in her place.

Eventually Sam released a slow breath. Emily was squeezing his arm to sooth him. "I guess I can understand that," he said after he relaxed fractionally, "but how can you trust people you don't know in your home when you're not around?"

"Things aren't important. They can be replaced if necessary. Trust readily offered is a gift to those worthy of it. I can easily see that all of you are worthy of that gift. But painful memories and damaged emotions are to be protected until you know that the friends you have chosen will not abuse the knowledge. That kind of trust has to be earned and often never is," Trinity explained herself, "You trusted that I will pay you for the work you are doing for me today even though you had never met me. But I have not asked about your family nor have I asked about Emily's scars because I know that I have not earned the trust required to get those answers. And until I do those answers are none of my business."

Quiet fell over the kitchen after she finished. Sam was looking down at the counter top as he thought about what she'd said. Trinity quickly finished her pizza and grabbed a bottle of water out of the fridge. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to explore the property for a bit. I should be back by the time you've finished. Give a shout if you need anything." With that Trinity disappeared out the back door.

They continued to eat in almost complete silence. Sam wasn't used to being put in his place and the others didn't know what to say. Personally, Paul was impressed with the way Trinity explained herself and the way she stood up for Harry.

Leah was the first to finish eating. As she moved to go back to work she said, "I like her." With that she headed upstairs to get back to work.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: I'd like to thank everyone for their kind reviews, follows, and faves. When I started this I never expected such a positive response. One of you asked about Harry and Paul's relationship. As I mentioned at the start, this story is slash. Paul and Harry will be together. I'm sorry if this disappoints anyone. Now, on with the show...**

* * *

 _ **Chapter Six**_

Trinity was still a little off kilter from the encounter in the kitchen as she walked the property line. What was it about these Quileutes that tripped her senses? Sam and Jacob especially triggered the nagging sense that they weren't entirely human. It made her think that whatever they were Sam was their leader. And that made the leader that she was want to challenge his authority. Jacob was probably a leader as well, or in training to be one, but he wasn't nearly as pushy about it.

They weren't magic users. She was sure of that. No magic user could conceal themselves from her. She was the heir to what was essentially the seat of magic. Karant was where magic filtered into the universe, and from there into the other dimensions. If Trinity ever became queen she would, for all intents and purposes, be the conduit for magic, the same way her mother was now. Being so close to the source of magic meant that she would always be able to sense it.

Even if her mother gave Trinity what she truly wanted Trinity would forever be this close to magic. What Trinity wanted was a sibling that could take her place as heir. It was a responsibility that Trinity didn't want. She wasn't worried about her mother dying so much. They were immortal after all. But her mother became queen when Catherine passed the crown to her before disappearing. Her mother could do the same thing to her, though Trinity didn't think she would. After all Catherine had been ruling for well over two millennia and had been ready to retire for lack of a better word.

Catherine had never had children of her own. The power that came with being queen preferred to be passed to a child of whoever wielded that power. There were a certain number of centuries a childless ruler had to wait before the magic would accept someone not of their blood. It was why she wasn't worried about Harry accepting her mother's gift. It would be centuries before her mother could even consider passing the mantle to him. And she couldn't as long as she had a blood child of her own.

As long as Trinity was alive Harry would never have to carry the overwhelming responsibility that came with ruling Karant. So Trinity was hoping that her mother would move on from this love for James Potter, which was bordering on unhealthy by this point, and find someone else who could give her a child. Once Trinity had a sibling her mother could release her from her position as heir. There was nothing in any world that could make Trinity happier than being free of the pressure that was looming in her future.

She reached the border of her land opposite the side that bordered the reservation and looked around. They really had bought themselves a beautiful bit of forest. Trinity put her bottle down next to her feet and closed her eyes. She breathed deeply, pulling the magic rich air deep into her body. She repeated the action, centering herself.

Planting her feet shoulder width apart and spreading her arms as wide as they would go she released her senses. Her magic rushed out of her body, following the lines of the property she'd already marked before blanketing the property. She could feel every nuance of what she owned as she let her magic build a protective ward no wizard could ever copy or breach. It was a ward that prevented any magic from working unless she allowed it to do so and made the place invisible to every magic user unless she allowed them to see. No one who meant them harm would be able to cross the boundary and the consequences for trying would not be pleasant.

Once she was finished building the ward she let her magic really explore. She could feel every soul in Forks and on the reservation. It spread out all the way to Port Angles and she counted the people there. It was comforting to know that there was no magic user close. She could feel some sort of creatures not too far from them but until she laid eyes on them she wouldn't be sure what they were. And this confirmed that Paul and his friends were different from the others on the reservation. There were also a handful others like them that they had left behind. She could also tell that others on the reservation had the potential to become like them. So whatever they were, it had something to do with them being Quileute.

Her magic caressed every animal down to the smallest insect. It sank into the ground and filtered into the plants. It rode the wind and dove into the ocean. The ambient magic of the forest recognized and welcomed her power to rule and protect. Joy such as she had never felt in this world coursed through her veins with the welcome.

Allowing her magic this freedom relaxed her like nothing else could. If Harry did become a prince of Karant he would have the ability to do this. His power would increase and he would need to know how to do this. His magic wouldn't be able to stretch as far as hers but it would be significantly more than he was used to.

As her magic brushed against Seattle she began to pull it back in. The sun had set and darkness was falling. She needed to head back to the house before Paul and his friends left or decided to come looking for her. They may not be able to see her magic pouring out of and pulsing around her but if they got too close to her they would definitely feel it. And she wanted to get back in time to have supper with Harry.

Once she had her magic reined in she had to kneel. She hadn't done that in a while. She took a moment to catch her breath and have some water. As soon as she was sure she could walk back without falling on her face she got to her feet. She may have worn herself out a bit but doing this was more relaxing than any massage and made her happier than chocolate. Now to get back to her helpers and take care of them so she could get back to Harry, who made her happier than all of the magic in Karant.

HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP

In the house the Quileute pack all came to a stop. Something warm and loving washed through them. They'd never felt anything like it.

"What the hell was that?" Sam demanded without expecting an answer. The others just shrugged in response. No matter how nice it felt it made him worry. Whatever it was that had that kind of power had to be stronger than anything the pack had ever faced. And that worried him.

HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP

A few miles away the Cullen family all came to a stand still. The power made them all shudder. They all turned to the smallest as her eyes became unfocused. After a few minutes both she and her brother were frowning.

"I can't see anything," worry filled her, "This has never happened before."

"What do we do?" their mother questioned, turning to her husband.

The husband and father was just as concerned as his family, maybe even more so. Power like that could be very dangerous for them. "For now we wait and see," because at this point that was all he knew how to do.

HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP

Harry smiled softly as the magic rushed through him. It felt warm and loving as it surrounded him. He knew without question that it came from Trinity. As he turned another page in his book he couldn't help but wonder how she did that. It was impressive and maybe one day she would teach him how.

She certainly had a lot of power. It probably had something to do with her being from Karant. There was no way she was entirely human. He wondered if becoming a prince of Karant would make him less human. Was he ready to be less human? Could he handle that? And what would his friends think? They may be distant right now but surely they were still his friends. Would they still be his friends is he was less human? Should what they think even factor into this decision?

They'd always been a part of the decision making before. Harry could count the decisions he'd made by himself since he was eleven on one hand. Maybe it was time for him to grow up and stop worrying about what Hermione and Ron would think.

Even if he took them out of the equation he wasn't sure what to do. He already had more than enough power. The power he would get from this didn't matter to him at all. What mattered was his humanity. How would this effect that? What mattered was family. Would this strengthen his bond with Trinity? Would it make Kalia look at him as family? Did he want that?

So Harry was going to give this a lot more serious thought than he had been. Hopefully he would be able to make a decision soon.

HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP

"Are you sure you meant to give us this much money?" Paul asked incredulously as he looked at the bills in his hand.

Trinity frowned in confusion, "Is it not enough?"

Leah snorted. "If anything it's too much. You sure are free with your money."

"It's just $200. It doesn't feel like too much. Plus extra for Paul because of the mirror."

"It's $200 _apiece_ ," Jared stressed the last word, "We were expecting $75 at the most."

Trinity shrugged. "You all gave up your entire day for this when you didn't have to. You all worked hard to get it done in one day and you all did a fantastic job. I paid accordingly," Trinity explained, "If you want, I can take it back?"

Seth's eyes widened. "No, no," he said hurriedly, "Thank you very much. If you ever need anything else just let us know."

Trinity laughed at his exuberance. "All of the furniture is being delivered tomorrow. I'm sure that there will be some assembly required because we had to order quite a bit. You all will be more than welcome to come back and put it together for us."

Sam couldn't help but smile at the strange but pushy woman. "We'll come and help but only if you agree that the money you gave us today covers the work that we do tomorrow too," he bargained.

Trinity stared at the leader of this little group. She desperately wanted to argue because that didn't sound fair to her at all. Why wouldn't they want to get paid for their work? She could see that he believed exactly what he was saying. She could also see that he wasn't going to be moved on this. Creator save her from stubborn men.

"Fine, but the food is still on me," no one could say she wasn't stubborn too.

Emily huffed out a small laugh, "That's perfectly reasonable. We'll see you tomorrow Trinity."

"Yes, and at an ungodly hour too," Trinity grimaced, "Apparently spending a fortune guarantees prompt and _early_ delivery. Damn it."

This made all of the Quileutes laugh, even the irascible Leah. "We'll see you bright and early," Leah said with a grin.

A few minutes later the odd teens left. Trinity was still smiling while she put the mirror in the back of her car. She didn't want it in the house until after all the furniture was in place. She wouldn't know where to put it until everything was in place and she didn't want it damaged. When she arrived at the B&B she carefully carried it inside. She was a little paranoid about the mirror.

Harry was in the living room with Mrs. Miller, Chief Swan, and a beautifully plain girl about his age. Her long brown hair was pulled back in a low pony tail and her dark gold eyes clearly said she wished she was somewhere else. She was also unnaturally pale, even for Forks. After a moment, Trinity dismissed her from her thoughts and turned her attention to Harry.

"Look at this Harry. Isn't it lovely?" she asked as she moved closer.

Harry looked away from his guests and eyed the mirror. "Wow," he said after a thorough inspection, "Where'd you get it?"

"It looks like Paul's work," Chief Swan said.

"It is," Trinity confirmed, "I saw it yesterday when I went to ask about the painting and I just had to have it. I think I'm going to put it in my room."

"He does good work, great work even," Harry carefully traced the carving around the frame, "Does he have anything else?"

"He has a whole shop of stuff he's made. I can take you to look if you want," Trinity smiled as she watched his fascination.

Mrs. Miller smiled too, "He'll take commissions too. I've got a few pieces around the place that I could show you if you'd like."

Harry looked at her and nodded eagerly. "I'm going to go put this away. I'll be right back." Trinity carefully took the mirror and set it on her bed. She was glad that Harry had company. He didn't seem too uncomfortable. Maybe he would make friends with the girl. He needed new friends.

Trinity returned to the living room. Gently lifting Harry's leg, she sat on the couch and put his leg across her lap. "So Chief Swan, what brings you here today?" she smiled at the man.

Chief Swan turned smiling brown eyes in her direction, "We just came by to officially welcome you to Forks. Julie told us all about your house search. She was thrilled when you bought the Wilson place."

"Thank you for the welcome. We were happy to find the house," she turned her attention to the girl, "And who is this?"

The girl in question shifted uncomfortably at having attention drawn to her. The grin that bloomed on the man looked like it might crack his face. Trinity smiled herself at the obvious pride on his face. "This is my daughter Bella. Bells this is Harry's sister Trinity," he all but gushed, "She'll be starting college soon."

"That's wonderful." Trinity fought the frown that wanted to form. She inhaled subtly while she carefully adjusted Harry's leg. Blood. There was blood in the air. Her eyes darted to her brother. The smell wasn't coming from him. So where was it coming from?

"It's been a busy year for Bella," Mrs. Miller was saying, "She finished high school, got married and became a mother. Now she and her husband are heading off to college. Charlie's so proud of her he could burst."

The amount of discomfort Bella was exhibiting should lead to blushing. Trinity could practically feel her embarrassment. So why wasn't she blushing? The smell of blood, the lack of blushing, the gold eyes, and the exceptionally pale skin aroused her suspicions. Releasing the smallest tendril of magic, Trinity let it brush against the girl. Her magic recoiled almost instantly and she suppressed a hiss. Vampire.

The conversation flowed around her while she tried to wrap her head around the fact that Chief Swan's daughter was a vampire. Obviously she hadn't been born one. Trinity wasn't sure how many species of vampires there were in this world. That was something she was going to have to ask Ash. There were very few vampires in Karant and all of them had immigrated to the kingdom. Vampires weren't native to her homeland.

Did she want Harry to make friends with a vampire? She would have no objections if Harry was whole and healthy. Most of the vampires she'd met had been civilized and quite easy to get along with. In Karant there were places vampires could get the willingly given blood of all creatures, whether from donations or direct feedings. There weren't many places like that in this world, mostly because humans stubbornly refused to believe in anything that wasn't human, so vampires had to hunt.

She did know that all species of vampires were fast and strong. A wizard had to be just as fast to defend himself against a vampire. Even if the vampire was civilized the smallest bit of blood could turn them into a predator almost instantly. Especially if said vampire was new, which Bella had to be. Harry was in no condition to defend himself if something went wrong. This was something she was going to have to discuss with him.

"So how much longer before you get to move in?" Bella was asking when Trinity tuned back into the conversation.

"The day after tomorrow," Trinity answered with a grin, "Paul and his friends are coming again tomorrow to help get the furniture in place. Once that's finished Harry and I'll be out of Mrs. Miller's hair and fending for ourselves."

The smile the broke out on Harry's face lit up the room. "Finally. No offense to Mrs. Miller, but I am beyond ready to have our own home."

Mrs. Miller laughed heartily, "None taken dear, none at all."

Bella stood, looking slightly unnerved, and gave them a tight smile. "Sorry to cut this short but I need to get going. It was nice to meet you both and welcome to Forks. It's always nice to see you Mrs. Miller. I'll see you later Dad."

Trinity watched her struggle to keep to a human pace as she hurried out of the house. "Well, that was abrupt," she turned to Charlie, "Is she normally like that?"

Charlie shrugged, "Sometimes. She's a new wife and a new mother and soon to be college student. Seems like she's always on the run these days."

"All young people are," Mrs. Miller offered her opinion, "They'll regret that when they get older."

"Indeed," Trinity agreed. Bella would eventually regret being in a hurry. Hurrying through life was pointless when you were looking at eternity.

HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP

"More coffee," Trinity grunted and she grabbed the second of three thermoses she'd brought with them.

Harry laughed softly before turning to watch the furniture being delivered. The men would bring something in, look at them in question, and either he or Trinity would tell them where to put it. Much of it had come in boxes because there was simply too much to bring it all fully assembled.

"How do you survive at home?" he asked after sending the men to his room, "Do they even have coffee there?"

Trinity shook her head. "No coffee," she ran a hand over her face, "There's a plant called grentagji. We use the roots for tea or we cook them for breakfast. It's about the equivalent of six cups of coffee. I'm pretty sure that I miss that plant more than my mother at the moment."

No wonder she drank so much coffee. She was trying to match something that only took one serving to get her moving. The delivery men appeared with something else. Trinity looked at them with bleary-eyed confusion. Harry sniggered before he directed them upstairs to the room Trinity had claimed for her own.

"Not that I'm not happy you're here," Trinity spoke slowly to make sure she got every word out right, "but why did you come again?"

"I was bored to tears yesterday. Couldn't think about anything except being bored most of the time," Harry explained patiently. They had discussed this before leaving the B&B but he hadn't expected her to remember it. He was pretty sure the only reason they had made it here by eight without having a car accident was because Trinity's magic had been doing most of the driving. "I may not be much help but at least I'm not stuck being able to do nothing."

Trinity patted him heavily on the shoulder. "Good, good," she said, "At least Paul and friends are coming to do the hard stuff. I have no idea how to turn those bit and pieces into furniture."

Even half asleep she was careful not to say anything about magic. Harry was impressed. He had trouble keeping it to himself sometimes when he was wide awake. How did she remember? She'd spent almost all of her life in one magical world or another. How did she remember that she couldn't talk freely about it? You would think Harry's childhood would be more than enough to remind him to never talk about magic.

There was a sharp knock on the door frame causing Harry to startle since he knew the delivery men were still upstairs. He turned sharply on his good leg, nearly falling over. His sister moved faster than he thought possible to keep him from toppling. His eyes were wide when he focused on the two people standing in the doorway.

Harry breathed easier when he recognized Seth from the beach. The woman standing beside him was a stranger but she looked enough like him to be related. Trinity squeezed his arm to get his attention. He glanced at her and gave her a reassuring nod. After a small hesitation she released him and went back to her coffee.

"Hi Harry," Seth said with a broad grin, barreling inside, "I didn't think you were going to be here."

Harry adjusted his stance so he had better balance before speaking. "I couldn't handle another day of sitting around by myself," using his thumb, he pointed at his coffee guzzling sister, "Plus she's barely conscious. I don't think the delivery men would have gotten a lot of help out of her."

Trinity made an indignant noise and Seth laughed. More Quileutes filed in, curious about the laughter. There was a round of introductions. The number of them left Harry feeling slightly overwhelmed. He hadn't been around this many people in over a year. He wasn't counting the final battle. That had been more of a survival situation than a social gathering.

"So, what needs doin'?" Jared asked from the back of the group.

Harry looked around, "Until the delivery men are done unloading not much. We brought an insane amount of doughnuts if you're hungry. Or you could help bring everything in. There shouldn't be much more though, they've been working for an hour already."

The group hustled over to the island to help themselves to the sugary breakfast. The eldest, Sam he thought, reached for the thermos that still had coffee in it. Trinity snatched it just before he wrapped his hand around it.

"Mine," she growled, holding it against her chest and Sam gave her a wide-eyed stare.

Harry grinned. "She's not very friendly without her coffee and she doesn't share. You guys left the cold coffee in the refrigerator if you want that," Harry spoke while holding back a laugh.

"She's going to drink all of that?" Sam turned his attention to Harry while keeping a cautious eye on Trinity.

Harry nodded. "It amazes me too."

The group all got drinks, giving Trinity a wide berth. Harry smiled at them. The delivery men came and went while they ate and made polite small talk. It wasn't long before the men carried in the couch. Harry told them where they wanted it. The men carefully set it down before going to retrieve the recliner parts of the sectional. They set those down without connecting them.

"That's the last of it," the older of the two men said, "If you could just sign here."

Trinity sat her coffee on the counter with a warning glare before taking the clipboard and signing the paperwork. As soon as she handed it back she pulled the coffee back to her. Harry shook his head before turning back to the delivery men.

"Thank you," he told them, "Have a good day."

"You too sir," the younger man said before both men left the house. The huge truck roared to life and trundled off only a few minutes later.

"So where do we start?" Jacob asked.

Trinity shrugged and left the room. They heard her wander upstairs. "I think the plan is to pick a room and start putting things together. Trinity'll be upstairs and I'll be downstairs to give directions. Trinity's going to be half asleep for a while longer and I move slow but I hope we'll be of some help."

They all nodded, polished off the rest of the doughnuts, and then headed off in different directions. Harry stayed in the living room with Seth for the moment. This was going to be a busy day. And tonight he and Trinity were officially going to have a place to live.


	7. Chapter 7

_**Chapter Seven**_

The newest vampire of the Cullen family was pacing, a wholly human movement that was no longer necessary. It was the only thing she could think of to dispel her agitation. At least it was the only on she could come up with that wouldn't wake her sleeping daughter. It felt like they'd been at this all night. Oh, wait, they had been. First about the rash decision that had lead her to visit the new people in Forks and now it was about the strangers themselves.

"I do not know what they are," she repeated for what felt like the hundredth time. Considering how smart her family was she shouldn't have to repeat herself so much.

Esme, sitting still as a statue, asked, "Didn't you smell them dear?"

Huffing out a frustrated breath, Bella resisted the urge to shout at her mother-in-law. Their ears were too sensitive to shout. "Of course I did. The boy, Harry, smelled like the air before a storm with the faintest hint of blood that smelled unappetizing at best. His sister, Trinity, smelled like fire, air, and water with a hint of dirt. I couldn't smell any blood on her. Plus she'd spent half the days with the wolves and I couldn't smell them on her. They can't possibly be human."

The other vampires stared at her like she'd sprouted a second head. Jasper was becoming more uncomfortable by the minute as emotions ran higher. Sorting through everyone's feelings to find his own was difficult. He was weighed down with frustration, worry, confusion, fear and anger. After a few stressful minutes of struggling he sent a small wave of calm over the room to even his family out a bit. He needed a break.

"Why should we even care?" Rosalie demanded, "We're leaving this godforsaken place in just a couple of months."

Emmett nodded in agreement with his wife. "As long as we leave them be they shouldn't bother us."

"That might've worked before our dear brother and his wife decided not to mind their own business without bothering to consult the rest of the family," Rosalie bit out.

Alice, Jasper's ex-wife, bit her lip in an uncharacteristic show of nerves and uncertainty. She hadn't even done that when she'd come to tell him that she'd found her true mate. At least these new people had given him some relief from the constant pity he'd felt from the others for the last few few months.

"I can't see them at all. It isn't like with the wolves and the hybrids. It's like they simply don't exist. I saw Bella and Charlie at the B&B with Mrs. Miller clearly. Harry and Trinity simply weren't there. I know when the wolves and the hybrids are involved because everything fogs over. They could mean us harm and I would never see it coming."

Nahuel, the hybrid that was Alice's mate, took her hand in his. Why Alice had chosen someone that could confuse her visions was beyond Jasper. The two of them had been together for so many years. Jasper had given her everything he had to give. He had thought she'd done the same. Jasper couldn't understand what had brought this change to them. Since the end, sometimes he wondered why he was even still here. Until he remembered that the Cullens were as much his family as Alice's.

"What do you think we should do Carlisle?" the dark skinned man asked in heavily accented English. Jasper still wasn't used to his voice after all this time.

Carlisle didn't answer immediately. He was deep in thought. Edward, for once, was quiet. He seemed to be having trouble sorting through all the conflicting thoughts. Jasper could feel his brother's guilt at sending his wife into a potentially dangerous situation and couldn't be bothered to offer him comfort. The unilateral decision he and Bella had made had brought them unwanted attention and put them in this situation. Whatever this situation happened to be.

"Can you tell us anything else about them?" Jasper asked to prevent himself from falling into thoughts of blame.

Bella shrugged. "Not much other than something about Trinity made me really uncomfortable. I think she might be the source of that power we felt before," she shifted uncomfortably, "and I think she knows I'm a vampire."

Rosalie's nostrils flared as her anger skyrocketed. "You just thought to tell us this now! What did you do?" she raged.

"Nothing! I was behaving perfectly human!" Bella shouted, making them all flinch, before continuing in a more moderate tone, "Something touched me and she went all quiet and tense. Then she kept studying me like she was waiting on me to turn feral or something."

"You stupid girl! How could you do something like this to us again!" Rosalie shot to her feet and lunged toward Bella.

Faster than any human could blink Carlisle was there between them. "We will not fight amongst ourselves!" While he didn't shout his voice was hard with anger and disappointment.

Emmett was quick to grab Rosalie from where she was still trying to get past Carlisle no matter what the man said. He pulled his struggling wife onto his lap and pinned her there with his massive arms. Edward had moved to Bella's side and wrapped a comforting arm around her shoulders.

Esme watched the whole debacle with wide eyes while she tried to decide who to reprimand. "Bella and Edward have both acted rashly," the 'again' was left unsaid, "but Rosalie, you need to calm down. What's done, is done." There was a finality in her voice that only mothers ever seemed to master.

"If she is the source of the power we felt then we can't be attacking each other and we can't run off and attack them," Edward reasoned, "We have Renesmee to think about now. We just survived a brush with the Volturi. Let's not start another war, especially with someone we know so little about."

Rosalie opened her mouth to say something else but one look from Carlisle stopped her. He didn't put his foot down as their coven leader often but he was now. And when that happened they all listened and obeyed without question. Jasper sent a stronger wave of calm out over the room to help, focusing most of his energy on Rosalie. They didn't need to be fighting, especially with Renesmee in the house. Jacob would be pissed if he found out.

"We will have them over for dinner. And we will all be polite," Carlisle's tone left no room for argument, "We will assure them that we are not a threat to this town. We will explain that the time has come for us to leave Forks, and other than short visits to Charlie, we won't be back. That is all we can do now that they know about us."

Now they had a plan of sorts. Jasper couldn't say that he agreed with it. There were too many variables, too many things that could go wrong. The tactician in Jasper didn't like that one bit.

HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP

Paul scented Harry first, then heard his shuffling gate, before Harry even set foot in the room. Paul had chosen to work in Harry's room again. He wanted to make sure that everything in Harry's room was safe and perfect. The best way to do that was to do it himself. His friends would be offended and confused if he went behind them to check their work after all.

His imprint came to a stop right behind him and cleared his throat. "How's it going in here?" there was the slightest strain in his voice.

Paul put the piece of bed frame he was holding down beside him and looked up. "Pretty good so far. I wasn't sure where you wanted me to set up the bed though."

Harry's eyes were pained as he looked around the room. Paul wanted desperately to ask if he was alright. After a moment Harry motioned to the wall opposite the windows. "There," he said, "I want to be able to look out the windows as soon as I wake up in the mornings."

Getting up off the floor, Paul moved the headboard where Harry wanted it. "Here?" he asked once he was satisfied with the position. When he received a nod Paul smiled, "Good."

Harry sighed before easing himself down on the box containing his dresser. "I'm not going to be in the way sitting here am I?" he asked, resting his cane across his lap.

Grabbing a screwdriver and pieces of framing, Paul shook his head. "I'll need to put that together eventually but you're good for now," Paul bit his lip while trying to focus on his work, "Are you ok?"

"Haven't taken the time to sit down all morning," Harry answered, "Ever present ache and all that. I think I'm going lie around for a whole week once we're finally moved in. I'll probably go ahead and start studying to fight off the boredom."

Paul laughed. He sounded like studying might just be a fate worse than death. "You could watch TV or play video games instead," he suggested.

"I've never played video games," Harry said after a slight hesitation, "My cousin seemed to enjoy them. When he wasn't chucking them at the wall anyway."

Paul looked up at him in shock. "You're eighteen, right? How is you've never played video games?"

Harry rolled his shoulders uncomfortably and didn't want to meet his eyes. "My...um...It...um," he cleared his throat, "I just wasn't allowed until my cousin was finished with them and he never finished with them until he'd broken them."

Oh, how Paul wanted to ask about that. All he said was, "That sucks." Harry looked really uncomfortable and Paul didn't want that. "I have a system at home. You could come over and play sometime," he offered, "As long as you promise not to throw it at the wall, of course."

A surprised laugh escaped Harry and Paul was proud of himself for making the other boy feel better. "That sounds like a plan," Harry's smile was crooked, "I might just take you up on that."

Paul's heart stuttered in his chest. He'd just invited his imprint to his house and he'd agreed to come. Dear God, he was going to have to make sure the place was spotless. And hope that his dad didn't embarrass him. He was going to have to make sure he didn't embarrass himself. Suddenly inviting someone so important over didn't seem like a good idea.

Paul worked quietly while he tried to settle the butterflies that had just taken flight in his stomach. Good Lord. He was starting to sound like a girl in his head. There was no way he was going to be able to keep his feelings about Harry to himself when he shifted with the others. The guys were never going to let him live this down. He just hoped he could handle their teasing without losing his cool every five minutes.

"How are you liking Forks so far?" That seemed like a safe bit of conversation.

"What I've seen of it looks nice. And the people I've met are friendly enough even if it's just so they can gossip about me later. I loved the beach," he could hear the smile in Harry's voice, "And, believe it or not, I love the weather. It keeps me from getting homesick."

"Do you miss England a lot?"

"I miss my friends more than the country I suppose," Harry answered.

"Did you leave a lot of friends behind?" Paul steeled himself, "A girlfriend maybe?"

"I didn't really have many close friends. I haven't seen them for months," Harry shifted on his seat, "And my girlfriend couldn't stand to look at me after the accident so she left me while I was still in hospital."

Paul was bombarded by conflicting emotions. He was happy that Harry was single but disappointed that he was straight. He was horrified that his girlfriend had dumped him over his accident but thrilled that she had dumped him. Paul might have a chance with Harry but Harry had been hurt badly. How was he supposed to convince Harry to have a relationship with a man when he had just lost his apparently shallow girlfriend?

Right now Paul felt like he was on a pendulum but he couldn't focus on himself. Harry was hurt. That was what was important. And no matter how it turned out Paul's only concern had to be helping Harry work through his pain. So he was going to be Harry's friend. Once some time had passed then he would worry about whether they could be more. If Harry would ever want to be more.

After a silent argument with himself Paul said, "Harsh."

Harry snorted, "Story of my life."

Paul debated about asking him to clarify that statement. He decided against it for now. He didn't want to push too hard and scare Harry off. "You could make new friends," Paul suggested, "You're well on your way to making friends with us."

He looked up at Harry as he moved on to the next piece of the frame. He was glad to see Harry smiling. He seemed to be thinking over the offer of his friendship and that of his friends. Then he frowned and Paul started to worry. Had he said something wrong?

"Is my money going to be an issue?" Harry asked seriously, "It's hard to tell who wants to be my friend because I'm well-off and who wants to be my friend because I'm just Harry. It's been like that for the last few years at least."

Paul looked up at him with raised eyebrows. "We're proud people. Money doesn't mean much to us. I don't see any of us wanting to be your friend because of your money. If you talk about it and throw it around that might cause problems."

The other boy laughed so softly the Paul would have missed it if he wasn't a werewolf. "I wouldn't know how to throw it around. I had nothing most of my life," Harry turned his gaze to the window, "I still haven't gotten used to it. I doubt I ever will."

Paul's brow furrowed as he continued working. "If you didn't have anything until recently, how is it that Trinity is so free with her money?"

"We weren't raised together. We didn't even know we were brother and sister until recently. And we were raised very differently."

"Why didn't you know?"

"Trinity's mom never told our dad that he had another kid. She never told anyone who Trinity's dad was. My parents died when I was a baby so I was brought up by people who didn't particularly care for me. We went to the same school for three years and never knew."

"When did you find out?" Paul was curious and he hoped that Harry didn't stop talking.

"I found out a few weeks ago. Trinity's known nearly two months. Her mom finally told her. I think Trinity's mad at her because she hasn't talked about Kalia since she first showed up at my house. We've been getting to know each other as more than kids who pass each other in the corridors too wrapped up in our classes to care about the other students."

Paul was surprised. Harry and Trinity seemed close. It was hard to believe that they hadn't known each other very long. "She told us some about her mom. It didn't seem like they're close to each other."

"Trinity hasn't been out of school long. They were starting to build a relationship outside of work because Trinity is finished with school and was living at home. Then Kalia dropped the bomb about me," Harry turned to face Paul again, his brow furrowed as he thought about what he was saying, "She's built her own family. I haven't met them yet but I will. Trinity was looking forward to getting to know her mother because she's blood. Finding out that her mother had kept her from knowing any part of her family, had kept her own council about something that means so much to her, that she had been taught and feels is just about more important than anything else, was hard on Trinity. I'm not sure how long she's going to be mad at Kalia but I don't think she will be for much longer. Family is too important to her."

Paul nodded as he wrapped his head around this bit of information. He would probably be pissed if he found out his dad was hiding a brother from him. "How do you feel about all of it?" he was honestly curious. Paul saw this as something that was worth his hair-trigger temper. Did Harry have a temper to match his own?

"I don't know what to feel about Kalia. It would have been nice to know a hell of a lot earlier but she had her reasons to keep it quiet," Harry rolled his shoulders while watching Paul work, "I'm excited to have family of my own though."

It seemed like Harry was more level headed than Paul. "That's a good way to look at it."

Harry smiled before falling into silence. Paul finished putting the bed together and wrestled the mattress into place. He actually had to work to make it look harder than it was. How would Harry handle the whole werewolf thing? He seemed like he was more comfortable around him now. Paul didn't know what had freaked him out on the beach but it didn't seem to be bothering him now. So he wasn't bothered by his size. Paul could only hope that the rest didn't bother him when the time came to tell him.

"What about you?" Harry asked suddenly.

Paul looked up from the box he'd just opened and blinked. "Huh?"

Harry snickered, "Tell me about you. I told you about my friends and family. So share." The bright green eyes focused on Paul alight with curiosity.

Paul thought about what to say while he put the bedside table together. "It's just me and my dad at home. My mom left before I could remember much about her. I never had many friends growing up, too hotheaded," he said with a self deprecating smile, "A couple of years ago Sam and the others were willing to look past my temper, we've been like brothers ever since. There was some fighting last year and we nearly lost Jacob and a few others because of sheer stubbornness. We've been working on mending fences and I think we're almost back to where we were."

"What was the fight about?"

Paul sighed. How to explain this without giving too much away? "Jacob made some friends that most of us didn't approve of and were concerned about. Dangerous friends. When Jacob left it shook Sam. Seth agreed with Jacob and followed him. Then Leah followed her brother because she wanted to protect him and get away from Sam for awhile. Took some time but we got over it. I, most of us actually, still don't trust Jacob's friends but we'd rather have him in our lives than out of it."

Harry nodded like he understood. And maybe he did. He hadn't shared everything about his life after all. "Do you have a girlfriend?" Harry asked.

Paul snorted, "Not a whole lot of girls willing to put up with me for long."

"Why not? You seem like a nice, good looking guy. Are the girls around here crazy?"

Never had Paul been more grateful for his dark skin. He could feel the blush blazing across his cheeks and hoped like hell that Harry couldn't see it. After taking a moment to calm himself he looked up with a grin. "Yup, they're all completely nuts."

Harry laughed at this and Paul joined him. This was going to be a good day. He hadn't scared his imprint off. He didn't think he'd been too nosy. He'd invited Harry over and hadn't choked. And he was going to get to spend the morning with the other boy. Paul loved it when everything seemed to be falling into place.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: I'd like to thank everyone for the kind reviews. I've been posting about once a week. I'm going to try and keep up with that schedule but I've run out of the stuff I'd already written. Life keeps trying to get in the way. I hope I didn't make to many mistakes in this. I didn't have time to go back and look over it. I hope you enjoy this just as much as you've enjoyed the previous chapters.**

* * *

 _ **Chapter Eight**_

Darkness had fallen about an hour ago. Everyone was gone, had been for about an hour. The house was done and it was absolutely perfect. Harry was stretched out on the sofa watching some reality show, which didn't look the least bit realistic, waiting for Trinity to get back. He'd overworked himself so Trinity had gone to the B&B to get their things without him.

When the phone rang Harry startled, nearly falling off the couch. It had been so long since he'd heard one ring. And why was it ringing? Had they given the number out? He'd given it to Paul but surely he wouldn't be calling already.

Using his wand, Harry summoned the phone to him. It was an ancient rotary phone with an insanely long cord on the kitchen wall that Trinity assured him was safe to use magic on. He caught the handset and held it to his ear. Time to see if his sister was right.

"Hello?" he said cautiously.

" _Hi,"_ a familiar, feminine voice came across the line, _"Is this Harry?"_

"Yes. Who is this?"

" _This is Bella. We met yesterday. My dad did his cop thing and got your number for me. I hope that's alright."_

Harry sighed, relieved that he hadn't lost his mind. "That's fine. What can I do for you?"

" _I was telling my family about you guys and they wanted to meet you. So I was wondering if the two of you would like to come over for dinner tomorrow night. If you don't have anything else planned of course."_

Should he make plans without talking to Trinity? He was sure that she didn't have anything planned for tomorrow. "That sounds great. We'll be there." He just hoped that Trinity didn't get upset with him.

" _Great. So we'll see you tomorrow around seven?"_

"That's fine. See you then."

Bella rattled off their address and gave him directions. They said their goodbyes and Harry sent the handset back to the cradle. He smiled at the thought of meeting Bella's family. She seemed like a nice, if shy, person. Her family was probably just as nice.

It was strange meeting all these people that didn't know he was famous. Sure, they all knew about the money because they'd been spending like crazy, but they didn't know how much there really was. Harry had enough money that he didn't have to work for at least ten lifetimes. And he was sure that Trinity had at least that much, probably more.

Talking to people who didn't know was easier than he'd ever imagined. He didn't have to worry about stupidly hyphenated titles and obscenely grateful fans. He didn't have to concern himself over the needs and wants of a government he couldn't trust. Plus he could be absolutely certain that these connections, these possible friendships, were genuine. Not something cultivated because of who he was and what he had.

Maybe he should write to his friends. He hadn't spoken to them since he got out of the hospital. They didn't seem to miss him. He hadn't been willing at first to have visitors but he wasn't even sure they tried. Madam Pomfrey had bullied her way in, that woman never gave up. And surprisingly, neither had Snape. He simply ignored anything Harry or Kreacher had to say and came at least once a week. He would write to them. They would know if any of his friends had tried to get in touch with him since he left.

"Kreacher!" Harry called out while he pulled himself into a sitting position.

There was a loud pop and Kreacher was in front of him. "Master Harry called."

"Could you get me some parchment and a quill? When you get back you can get you things moved in here. We've finally got the house set up so we're ready for you," he told the old elf. Kreacher nodded and disappeared. He was back a few minutes later with the writing supplies and a ratty sack. "You can't use the closet down here but there are a few upstairs that you might like." Once he heard that Kreacher was off exploring.

Taking up the quill, Harry started writing to Pomfrey. He would have to get Kreacher deliver the letters because he had yet to get an owl. The letter was harder to write than he thought it would be. And he was dancing around where they actually were. He didn't want anyone to know just yet. He had finished the letter to the healer and was working on the one to Snape when Trinity came in carrying his bags.

"I'm back," she said with a smile.

Before he could answer her Kreacher appeared in front of her. "I take Mistress's things," he grumbled taking the bags.

Trinity quickly shook off her surprise, "Those are Harry's. His room is downstairs. Thank you Kreacher." She came over and curled up in one of the recliners, "How long has he been here?"

Harry shrugged, "Twenty minutes, maybe more. I haven't been watching the clock."

"What are you watching?" she asked.

"Something about surviving I think. I stopped paying attention," he answered while he finished up his letter, "You can watch something else if you want."

She shook her head, "Never been very interested in television. I wouldn't know what to look for."

After sealing both letters Harry looked over at his sister. "Bella called and invited us over for dinner tomorrow to meet her family. I said we'd go. I hope you don't mind." He tried not to be nervous about her response but it was hard. He never would have done something like this with Vernon or Petunia.

"That's fine I guess," Trinity smiled at him, "Wonder what they'll serve."

Harry lifted an eyebrow, "What does it matter? I'm sure it'll be good. You don't invite people over if you can't cook."

Trinity looked at him in surprise. "Bella's a vampire, which means her new husband and his family probably are too. Didn't you realize?"

Now it was Harry's turn to be surprised. Bella was a vampire? How had he missed that? It wasn't like he'd never seen a vampire before. Maybe he should have paid more attention in school. "She's a vampire? Are you sure?"

"Yes," Trinity rolled her eyes at him, "When I let my magic roam I felt them but I didn't realize exactly what they were until I met Bella. There are different species of vampires, races if you will. They're a race I've never encountered before so I didn't recognize them when I felt them."

Harry couldn't help but laugh at the eye roll. "Sorry to question your abilities," he tried hard not to sound sarcastic between snickers. Trinity looked offended for about five seconds before she started laughing too.

They had a good laugh over something completely ridiculous and Harry was sure it wasn't that funny. Kreacher was shaking his head when he brought them tea. Harry sucked in a few calming breaths to get himself under control while she did the same. Trinity was still smiling when she reached for her tea.

"What would vampires serve for dinner?" Harry asked as he reached for his own tea.

After sipping her tea Trinity shrugged, "Maybe they think they'll have us for dinner. Or maybe they'll have Italian. Vampires aren't that big a deal for me. If you weren't hurt they probably wouldn't pose a problem for you either."

And there it was. Another reminder that he wasn't what he used to be. That he hadn't been fast enough to protect himself. He was basically half the man he used to be. According to everyone, he was the best defensive caster to ever come out of Hogwarts. But what good was all that knowledge if he didn't have the ability to stand on his own two feet? Just trying to stand reminded him of how useless the war had made him.

"Do you think we should still go? Or do you want to go by yourself?" he failed to keep the anger and sadness out of his voice.

She sighed heavily before answering. "As a rule vampires are fast. I'm cautious," she answered honestly, "I don't see a reason you can't go. My magic didn't react negatively to them. As long as our blood stays inside our bodies everything should be fine. And if something does go wrong I am seriously overpowered."

Harry snorted into his tea. "What does that even mean? Princess or not, aren't you a witch?"

"Technically I'm the heir not the princess. Terms like queen, king, prince and princess are easier to use here. My mother is Conduit and I am Heir. If my mother has more children they will be the princes and princesses unless something happens to me or she chooses another heir," Trinity explained, "And I'm not exactly a witch. I'm an elemental. My magic is tied to the elements."

When she paused Harry nodded to show that he was following.

"My primary element, the easiest to master, is fire," she held up her left arm, "I mastered water next," right arm, "Then I chose air." She reached down a rolled up her pants on her left leg to show him the tattoo he'd already seen. It was nice to know what they meant.

"There's nothing on your right leg."

"I'm nearly finished mastering earth. Once I do the power marks will appear on my right leg."

Harry nodded his understanding. Then he frowned, "Aren't there five elements in magic?"

Trinity nodded. "The last is magic itself. No one but the Conduit can master that and not until they actually become Conduit. Mastering the other four elements will make me the second most powerful magical being in all worlds. Only my mother will be stronger."

He stared at her with wide eyes. Maybe she wasn't exaggerating when she said she was overpowered. "If I take your mother's offer what will happen to me?" he asked after he found his voice.

Trinity put her cup down and turned so she could look at him straight on. "It won't change who you are. You'll still be a wizard but with more power. You'll be able to master at least one element, probably two with how powerful you already are. Just a smidge less human is all," she explained gently, "Have you been worried about changing into a monster or something?"

"Just about becoming something I'm not," Harry bit his lip, "I haven't decided anything yet. I know that I'll have more questions as I think about it."

"I'm here to answer any question you can think of," Trinity reached for her tea again, "Now, are we going to risk dinner with vampires?"

The way she shifted the conversation threw him sometimes. So far he appreciated it. She seemed to know exactly when he was ready to leave a subject. He was starting to wonder if she was reading his mind.

"Vampire or not, I think I could be friends with Bella," Harry told her, "I'll just have to be careful and have my wand ready. I'm still quick on the draw even if I can't run worth a damn. And for this first visit you'll be there to see if we can trust them."

Trinity nodded, "I think I want you to see my healer friend before I'll be comfortable with you spending time alone with vampires. Don't get me wrong, I won't stop you if you decide to hang out with them. You are an adult. But I'll be worried sick the whole time."

Harry was glad that she wasn't telling him what he could and couldn't do. He'd had enough of that in his life. It was strange having someone worry about him though. Hermione had in her own way but she'd been just as quick to follow him into danger as she was to yell at him for being in danger in the first place. Trinity would worry but he didn't think it was going to involve yelling. And if she was following he didn't think there would be that much danger.

"We'll see how it goes after tomorrow," Harry reached for the remote, "Now let's find something to watch."

HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP

The time had come to grow a pair. Sam wasn't going to let him put off patrolling any more. Paul was standing in front of the house trying to work up the nerve to knock. Sam knew he was there but he was giving him time. Paul had never been so nervous in his life. With one last steadying breath, Paul raised his fist and knocked.

Sam opened the door before Paul's arm was back at his side. "Come in," he said gruffly.

Paul followed Sam into the living room and sat awkwardly on the end of the couch. Sam parked himself in the armchair across from him. They sat in uncomfortable silence while Paul tried to think of where to begin. He wondered if Quil had felt like this when he imprinted on a child. Or Jacob when he'd imprinted on the vampire baby.

"You ready to tell me what's been bothering you?" Sam asked after he got tired of the quiet.

Paul shifted in his seat and cleared his throat. "Um..." he cleared his throat, "I imprinted." His voice came out in a rough whisper.

Sam grinned, "That's great. I don't see why you were hiding yourself away. Who is it?"

Paul turned his gaze to the floor. He couldn't look at Sam at the moment. "Harry," it came out so low he barely made a sound.

There was no sound. Paul continued to look at the floor while he waited for Sam to say something. The silence stretched on and on. Paul swallowed hard as he waited. The longer it went on the more nervous Paul became. He couldn't see any way this would turn out good. His alpha had to be thinking of a way to get rid of him, to toss him out of the pack.

Stiffening his spine, Paul found the courage to look up. Sam was just staring at him with his mouth hanging open and his eyes unfocused. He looked frozen in time. Maybe he was broken. "Sam?" his voice was shaking slightly so he cleared his throat again, "Say something."

The alpha visibly shook himself and his eyes cleared. "Are you sure it's Harry and not Trinity?"

Paul scoffed, "Are you sure it's Emily and not Leah?"

"I don't understand how this could happen," Sam shot to his feet and started pacing, "How could you imprint on a guy? It doesn't make any sense. Imprinting is supposed to strengthen the tribe. This has never happened before."

"Most of us are kids. Most of us haven't imprinted. And there were only three wolves in the last pack," Paul tried to sound reasonable, "How do we even know that this can't happen?"

Sam continued to pace, keeping his eyes off of Paul. "You're not even gay. You can't expand the pack with a man."

"What are you going to do?" Paul clasped his hands tightly together between his knees to keep from wringing them.

Shaking his head, Sam finally turned to look at Paul. "I don't know what to do or to think about this. Have you said anything to Harry?"

"Say what Sam? 'Hi Harry. I turn into a giant wolf whenever the mood strikes and because of that it turns out you're my everything. Does that work for you?' How well do you think that would go over?" Paul demanded, trying to fight off the sudden anger.

Sam ignored the outburst. "That's good. Maybe you can ignore it and find a nice girl to settle down with."

"Yes, because ignoring an imprint is possible. Because Jacob has turned his back on the vampire and Quil has turned his back on Claire," Paul ground out, "And let's not forget you ignored imprinting on Emily when you had been in love with Leah for years."

"As unorthodox as those are, they can strengthen and grow the pack. Imprinting on a man can't do that," Sam was this close to yelling.

"I can't ignore it. I won't. The pull to see Harry is the strongest thing I have ever felt in my life. Stronger than the urge to shift even."

Sam's eyes darkened and he moved to stand directly in front of Paul. "You will stay away from that boy. I will make it an order if I have to."

Paul shot to his feet and stood toe to toe with his alpha. "You can't order me to stay away from my imprint. I'll break from the pack if I have to. Don't make me choose Sam."

The growl that came from Sam made Paul nervous. He hoped that the other man wasn't going to shift right here in the living room. He wasn't sure the house would survive the fight that would come from it. Paul probably wouldn't win but he would make sure that he did some damage.

"Get out," Sam growled, "Until I speak to the elders I don't want to see you. Don't come back here until I call you."

It hurt having his alpha speak to him this way. Paul shoved past Sam and hurried out of the house. As soon as he crossed the threshold he let the shift take him. He tore through the trees at full speed. He wasn't worried about the others knowing anymore. At this point it looked like he was going to lose them all anyway. It hurt like nothing ever had before.

HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP

When the ground started to shake Harry nearly fell off the couch. He looked up as Kreacher let out an alarmed squeak and popped away. As the house continued shake Harry sat the math book down on the couch and reached for his cane. He didn't know what the hell was happening but he was going to find out. Did earthquakes happen in this parts of the world?

Everything stopped shaking as he pulled himself to his feet. He looked around wondering if it was over or if it was going to happen again. He could hear Trinity cursing from the backyard. Hoping she was ok, Harry went to go check on her.

The shaking started again just as he reached the door. He hurriedly pulled it open and stepped out on the deck. He needed to find his sister. Keeping a tight grip on his cane, Harry reached for the back of one of the deck chairs to steady himself.

When the earth was still again, Trinity's cursing drew his attention to the center of the yard. She was standing there in sweat pants and a tank top without shoes. Her hands were on her hips and she was breathing heavily. It was odd to see her up and alert at this time of day. He didn't even remember her going outside. He must have been completely absorbed in his studies to have missed her stumbling around.

Trinity shook her hands out and rolled her shoulders. He watched as she planted her feet and held her hands out to the sides, palms down. Her entire body tensed and everything started shaking again. Harry watched in amazement as the ground started to rise up around her. It was slow and it looked like it was taking a lot out of her. Then the ground fell back into place, the shaking stopped and she started cursing again.

"What are you doing?" Harry called out to her.

She spun around so fast that she lost her balance and landed on her ass. She sat there, stunned for just a second, before she started laughing. Harry laughed with her while he ventured out into the yard. Trinity was still sitting there giggling when he reached her.

"I'm trying to bend the earth to my will," she told him once she'd calmed down, "It's not going well at the moment."

"So, do you think anyone else felt the earth shaking?" Harry offered his hand to help her up.

Trinity took his hand and let him pull her to her feet. "No one lives close enough to us to feel it. I didn't mean to bother you."

"It's fine. You scared the hell out of Kreacher though. Not sure he can stand to be scared like that as old as he is."

"He'll be alright. I'm done for now anyway," Trinity dusted off her pants, "Gave myself a headache."

"What are you doing up so early?"

"Mother called to see how things were going. There was business to discuss and I told her about Sirius and Remus. She'll have to pass that on the the others. She told me that it would be a few more weeks before Bell and Ash are done with their honeymoon. Once they're done with that they'll come straight here. No telling when Brex will show," they started back to the house, "After that I called the healer that I want to see you. She said she'd be here by the end of the week."

The healer. Harry fought the urge to hope. He didn't care what anyone said, hope was the most dangerous thing in the world. Nothing was more damaging than hoping for something and having it not happen. "Ok," he said once he'd successfully squashed the hope that this healer would be the one to fix him.

Trinity sighed softly because she knew what he was doing. "So, what are your plans today?"

"I'm planning to study until it's time to go to the Cullen's unless something changes."

"Your day doesn't sound any more exciting than mine. There's more paperwork to go over and I have to call the ICW and arrange a meeting. They're not going to like that. According to my mother every time Karant gets involved the wizards think that their world is ending."

Harry nodded. "Wizards like to think they're the end all and be all. It's like a kick in the teeth for them to remember they're not," he bumped shoulders with her, "Personally, I think my day is better than yours."

Trinity grinned, "I'd rather have your day too. Wanna trade?"

Harry shook his head vehemently. "No thank you. Would I have to do stuff like that?"

Shaking her head, she said, "Nope. All of this mess falls onto the shoulders of the Conduit and the Heir when the Heir comes of age. The princes and princesses never have to do any of this ruling stuff unless they want to. Not fair in the least."

"That certainly makes it more appealing," Harry bumped her again.

Trinity laughed before gently bumping him back. "What are you studying?"

"Math, which is not my favorite" Harry answered with a small pout, "I want to finish muggle school. I can't practice enough magic right now to finish up my magical education so I'm working on the muggle stuff."

"Well, I can help you with the magic stuff when you're ready. I do have a wand, had to get one to study magic at Hogwarts. And I can teach you how to do magic without a wand too. Wizards are capable of it if they're powerful enough, which you are," Trinity held the door open for him, "I could help with the muggle stuff too but I don't exactly appreciate the joys of math myself."

Harry snickered, "I have a handle on the muggle stuff. And I can ask Paul or someone to help me with it when I get stuck."

Kreacher was grumbling about annoying witches and things that shouldn't be shaking while he cleaned the living room. Trinity smiled at the old elf, not at all bothered by his insults. Harry had started finding them amusing long ago. He was glad his sister felt the same.

"Do you like Paul?" Trinity asked with an odd lilt to her voice that he didn't understand.

Harry nodded as he settled himself back on the couch. "He's a great guy. He invited me over to play video games sometime. I think we could be great friends."

He looked up to see an expression he couldn't identify cross her face. It was gone so fast he thought he'd imagined it. "I think it's great you're making friends. Especially ones that can help with your studies," she smiled as she passed him his book, "Now I have to go work. Give a shout if you need anything."

Harry watched as she hurried up the stairs. His sister was very strange. He smiled before turning to his book. He was glad his sister was strange. It made him feel less lonely.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: This chapter feels rushed and a bit disjointed to me. I'm going to apologize in advance for that. I hope you enjoy it anyway. I'm not sure where the Quileute tribe really stands on two-spirit people. Modern tribes are divided about them. I know the Hoh tribes a little further north of La Push are on the fence about them. For this story the Quileutes support them, at least the more traditional ones do.**

* * *

 _ **Chapter Nine**_

The paved lane was narrow, almost impossible to spot if you weren't looking for it. The trees and undergrowth encouraged to grow in such a way to conceal it. There was no mailbox or address marker. The narrow lane was long, at least a mile. The trees stopped abruptly at the edge of a large yard, bigger than their own. The house was massive, three stories of glass and sharp angles with the biggest garage either had ever seen.

"Why would they have so many windows?" Harry asked with a confused frown.

Trinity shrugged, "Not all vampires burst into flames in sunlight. Maybe they're one of the ones that don't. Or maybe they like living dangerously."

Harry continued to stare up at the house as Trinity stopped the car. "They must be rich."

"It's a coven, a fairly large one. At least some of them have had plenty of time to make money. And the more people in the coven the bigger living space you need," she told him as she turned the car off, "You ready?"

Harry took his cane in hand and let himself out of the car. Together they walked up to the front door and Trinity knocked. She counted the seconds and knew they should have reached the door before they even stopped the car. The vampires were still playing at being human. Bella must not have realized that Trinity knew or the rest of them thought she wouldn't guess they were all vampires. Or maybe they had simply grown too used to playing human.

The door finally opened and Trinity eyed the young man standing there. His pale blonde hair was neatly styled away from his remarkably handsome face. His eyes were so amber that they looked like gold. He was only a couple of inches taller than Trinity. She could certainly see how he would make a wonderful predator. There wasn't a woman in this world that would turn away from his attentions.

"Hello," his voice was very soothing with the faintest accent, "Welcome. I'm Carlisle. Please come in." He stepped back to allow them to pass.

"Thank you," Trinity stepped past him with Harry only a step behind her. Her eyes moved around the room, ignoring the too white décor to focus on the people in the room.

There was a huge man with dark, almost black hair and more muscles than should be possible. In his lap was a scarily beautiful woman with golden blonde hair. They were obviously a couple. On the couch next to them was a tiny black haired woman who could pass for a pixie if Trinity wasn't sure about her vampire status. Next to her, holding her hand, was a man with dark brown skin, brown eyes and oddly enough, a slowly beating heart. An odd pairing. Across from them on another couch was Bella and a young man with messy bronze hair that Trinity assumed was the girl's new husband.

In another chair was a lean young man with honey blonde hair and a very serious expression. There were scars, as she traced them with her eyes she realized they were bite marks. A fighter then. When he noticed she was staring at his scars he shifted uncomfortably, crossing his arms over his chest. He didn't have a mate, she could sense his loneliness, and wondered how he dealt with being surrounded by so many happy couples.

There was a noise from the other side of the room and Trinity was quick to focus her attention there. It wouldn't do to not know where all the vampires were. The woman standing there longish caramel colored hair and she was as beautiful as the rest. But it was the child she was holding that caught Trinity's eye. She was adorable with her brown eyes and bronze ringlets. She looked like she might be five or six but that couldn't be true. She looked too much like Bella and her husband not to be theirs. So the girl couldn't even be a year old yet. Her heart was beating just like the dark man's was.

"Hi Bella," Harry said with a smile, "Thanks for inviting us."

Harry either didn't notice the tension or he was choosing to ignore it. Trinity was now sure that they knew that she knew and they didn't like it one little bit. She couldn't help the smirk that crossed her face but she quickly controlled her face. No sense in making the vampires even more uneasy. "It's good to see you again Bella," she gave the girl a reassuring smile, "How about introductions?"

Bella's smile was tight as she pointed to everyone. Muscles was Emmett. Scary beauty was Rosalie. Pixie was Alice. The dark one, who did stand out against the very pale vampires, was Nahuel. Husband was Edward. The fighter was Jasper. Caramel was Esme. And the girl was Renesmee. It was quite a large coven. How did the local population keep them fed?

"It's nice to meet all of you. I'm Trinity and this is my brother Harry. You have a lovely home," Trinity hoped her distaste for the space didn't show in her voice, "Do all of you live here?"

Carlisle stepped around them and went to stand beside Esme, "We're a very close family, though the children are all heading off to college soon. So we'll have an empty nest in just a few weeks," Carlisle's smile didn't seem forced. He was either very confident or an excellent actor.

Harry moved to sit and Trinity stood next to his chair. It's not that there wasn't another seat, she just wanted to stay near her brother just in case. "It must be nice being so close. I would've loved to have such a close family growing up," Harry shifted around until he was more comfortable while making sure he had easy access to his wand.

"The two of you weren't close as children?" Esme asked with sympathy as she moved deeper into the room.

"We didn't know about each other until recently," Trinity squeezed Harry's shoulder, "We may not have had close family as children but we'll have one now." Harry reached up and squeezed her hand in agreement.

"I like your hair. I've been thinking of coloring mine. Who was your stylist?" Alice asked.

Trinity turned her gaze to the fidgeting vampire. It seemed like stillness was simply unnatural for her. She didn't know if she was going to like the tiny vampire. Hyperactivity was not something she'd ever enjoyed being around. "I came this way. I've never been to a stylist. I'm not even sure what a stylist is," Trinity looked to her brother for an explanation. He'd spent a lot more time around humans than she had.

"It's someone who you pay to make changes to your hair. Cuts, coloring, fancy ponytails those sorts of things," Harry told her with a shrug, "I've only ever been to get my hair cut once and the lady cried when nothing she did worked to tame this mess."

Trinity snorted. "Mother said that James had the same problem. I am so very happy my weird hair is not hair that looks like I've been electrocuted."

Harry laughed and slapped her hand, "Not nice."

"What do you mean you came that way?" Rosalie interrupted rudely.

"I mean that I was born with my hair this way. My eyelashes have the same coloring." Trinity wondered if becoming a vampire had sapped away her manners.

Rosalie made a disbelieving noise but said nothing more. Trinity wondered when they were going to bring up the vampire thing. She certainly wasn't going to be the one to bring it up. Nothing would put them on the defensive more than being outed and they were tense enough as it was. She really didn't want to kill anyone today.

"So what's for dinner?" Trinity asked, "It smells wonderful."

"Chicken cacciatore, salad, and garlic cheese rolls," Esme smiled at them, "I wasn't sure what you'd like so I made something simple."

"That sounds great," Harry smiled, "We've been busy all day. Some how lunch passed us by."

"I was arguing with diplomats all day. They wouldn't shut up long enough for me to eat. You were studying right next to the kitchen, you have no excuse," Trinity said with a smile. There was no way she was going to mention that Kreacher could have fed him anytime he wanted.

"Well, everything's ready," Esme was by far her favorite vampire so far, "we can go ahead and eat."

Harry nodded. Trinity stood by him while he got to his feet. Then she walked behind him, making sure to put herself between him and most of the vampires. His balance wasn't good enough to handle an attack from behind. She wished she could put herself between him and all of the vampires but that would require magic. And she didn't want to have to show that card just yet.

The table was set for all of them and Esme had made more than enough food for all of them. She wondered if these vampires could eat real food. She knew that there were a few races that could. She really wished that she could talk to Ash. She did not like being in the dark.

They sat down at the table and started passing the food around. They made polite small talk while they settled in to eat. The Cullens were pleasant company, except for Rosalie. Trinity couldn't decide if she was being petulant or if she just didn't like anyone outside of the coven. Maybe it was both. The problem was, Trinity was sure that the blonde was someone she could get along with if she ever got over herself.

"What happened to your face?" the sweet, childish voice disrupted the pleasant talk like a hurricane disrupted a picnic.

Trinity froze with her fork halfway to her mouth. She turned her eyes to her brother to keep from glaring at the child. She had just asked an innocent question. Any child would be curious. Any child wouldn't hesitate to ask the question. She didn't know any better.

"Nessie!" Edward hissed before looking at Harry, "I am so sorry."

Harry visibly shook himself and cleared his throat. He sat his fork down beside his plate and gave the girl a gentle smile. "It's alright," he told Edward without looking away from Renesmee, "I had an accident a little while ago. It was really bad. I'm better now. Just with a few extra bumps and bruises."

"Is that why you have a stick?" she questioned innocently, ignoring the nudging from her father.

Harry held up his cane, "This? I got a big bump on my leg. My stick helps me walk. Trinity made it for me."

"It's pretty."

"Thank you," Harry put his cane down and turned back to his food, "It's not as pretty as you though."

Renesmee blushed prettily before she started eating again. Trinity relaxed when Harry did. She looked around the table and noticed that most of the vampires were just pushing around their food, pretending to eat. The girl and Nahuel were eating but they were doing it slowly. So they couldn't eat. The two with heartbeats could but didn't seem to prefer it. So they weren't wholly vampires. She wondered when they were going to bring up the elephant in the room.

"Is there nothing that can be done?" Carlisle asked curiously, "I'm a doctor. I could take a look for you if you like."

Harry sighed heavily. "According to every doctor I've seen for the last year I'm as good as I'm going to get. I've agreed to see one more doctor to appease my sister and I believe she's already chosen."

"I've called the best healer the I know. If she can't then there's no one who can," Trinity smiled at him, "If Harry wasn't so stubborn I'd give you a shot too."

"I hope she can help you," Carlisle seemed genuine.

"Thanks," Harry said before he continued eating.

Once they all finished eating Esme excused herself and took Renesmee with her. It looked like it was time to go over the vampire issue. Trinity looked over at Harry and noticed him adjusting the wand up his sleeve. So he knew what was going to happen too. It was time to see if these vampires could really be trusted.

Carlisle clasped his hands and rested them on the table. Around the table the other vampires tensed subtly. "We were under the impression that you know what we are," Carlisle started the conversation.

Trinity picked up her wine glass and took a deep pull. Harry gripped his cane and looked to her to lead this. Sitting her glass down with a sigh, she focused her gaze on the blonde vampire, "Your impression was correct."

Carlisle nodded as she confirmed what he knew. "We wanted to assure you that we don't mean any harm to the people here and that we will be leaving soon," he continued.

Trinity considered the vampire before looking over the rest of the coven. Her eyes looked each of them over and she found that she could believe him. Not that the danger to the townspeople mattered overmuch to her. She had very little love for humans after all. And as vampires they weren't her subjects to control. Though if anyone would be a danger it would probably be Rosalie, Trinity thought with a smirk.

Her gaze rested on Alice, Bella, Edward, and then Jasper. There was something about those four that was different from the others. Different from the two with the beating hearts. She returned her attention to Carlisle, who she assumed was the leader. "What I don't understand is how there are so many of you and you haven't decimated the population already," she commented curiously, "Have they finally made vampire-friendly blood banks and they slipped my notice?"

"As far as I know there are no blood banks," Carlisle looked as if the idea had never occurred to him before, "We don't feed off of humans. We feed from animals."

Harry wrinkled his nose, "That can't taste good."

Trinity snorted before looking at him, "If I understand correctly it's like trying to replace a steak with bologna. At least that was how Ash explained it to me the few times we've discussed vampires. There aren't many vampires who have the strength to turn away from their natural prey."

"Oh," Harry looked at Carlisle. He had a much greater regard for human life, considering that he had died for this world on more than on occasion, "Bravo."

A bemused expression crossed the coven leader's face. "Thank you."

"May I ask why you're leaving?" Trinity asked.

It was Esme that answered as she came back into the room, "Normally we would have a couple of more years here with the children heading off to college but with Renesmee we need to move sooner."

"Yes, let's cover Renesmee and Nahuel. I can tell that they aren't full vampires. I also can be fooled by whatever story you've spun for the town about her. She looks very much like Bella and Edward, too much not to be their biological child." Trinity was honestly curious about this.

It was Edward who answered her, "Nahuel and Renesmee are hybrids. Half human and half vampire. Renesmee is our daughter. Bella fell pregnant before she was turned."

Trinity's eyebrows rose all the way to her hairline. "You must have remarkable restraint Edward. Humans aren't exactly designed for bedding vampires."

Bella's eyes grew wide and she spluttered. Edward ducked his head. She knew if they were capable both would be blushing hot enough to set themselves on fire. She heard a soft snicker from Emmett while the others managed to conceal their reactions.

Harry reached over and smacked her on the back of the head. "That was rude," he hissed, trying to cover up his own snicker.

Trinity winked at him before looking back to Carlisle, "We don't care about you being vampires. My only concern is my brother."

"What concerns do you have?" Bella asked.

"All vampires are predators, no matter your chosen diet. Harry has exceptional reflexes normally, on par with those of a vampire even. But as you can see, his accident has slowed him down considerably," Trinity explained, "He likes you and would like to be friends but I have concerns for his safety. One slip and it is possible that he would find himself on the menu."

Rosalie growled, "That's insulting."

Jasper shook his head, "It's a valid concern Rose."

"They don't even smell like food," she argued back before glaring at Trinity, "What are you anyway? You know what we are, it's only fair that you tell us what you are."

Trinity turned a skeptical gaze on the beauty. "We don't smell like food? I've only heard of one race of vampires that we wouldn't be appetizing to."

"You have?" Harry frowned at her, "What are they?"

"Ash called them Diamatiz. They shine like diamonds in the sun. They have venom so they can't have the feeding houses like we have in Karant. And every once in awhile you get one with a special ability. They're also supposed to have crimson eyes. I've never encountered one before and Ash never went into much more detail about them," Trinity told her brother as she looked consideringly at the vampires, "Why are your eyes not red?"

"It's because of our diet," Carlisle answered simply, "And if Harry would like to spend time with us we will make sure that he is safe."

Rosalie slammed her hand down on the table causing the dishes to rattle and the wood to splinter. "What are you?" she demanded.

Trinity arched an eyebrow at the show of temper. "You're telling me I should trust you lot to keep Harry safe when she can't control herself for a few minutes? You may not consider us edible but what is to keep her, any of you for that matter, from hurting Harry in a fit of temper?"

Emmett sighed and gripped his wife's arm. "She's just a little on edge right now. She's very protective of our family."

"She needs to understand how protective I am of mine," Trinity held up her left arm channeling her power through it. She stared hard at Rosalie as the power marks began to glow. Rosalie watched with wide, alarmed eyes as a fireball formed in her palm and grew to the size of a basketball. "As for what I am," she looked impassively at the shell shocked blonde, "The easiest way to explain it to you is that I am a witch, a powerful one. I have no problem with you being vampires. I wouldn't even have a problem if you fed from humans. My only problem with you would be if I trust you with Harry and one of you cause him harm. That is the only way I would ever pose a threat to you. And believe me, if one of you hurt my brother all of you will burn."

Trinity allowed the fireball to dissipate and stopped channeling her power. She smiled and reached for her wine. The vampires were staring at her in horrified fascination. If they could have gotten any paler, they would have. Harry pulled his wand out of his sleeve and with a whispered spell fixed the table. They all turned their eyes to him.

"I'm a wizard," he said quietly, "but since I was injured I'm not exactly what I used to be."

Carlisle cleared his throat. "Witch...wizard?" he cleared his throat again, "I never thought that magic was real."

"As a vampire I would have assumed that you would have at least guessed that there was more out there," Trinity quirked her lips, "Vampires aren't supposed to exist either. Especially ones with special abilities."

"So where do we go from here?" Harry asked.

"What do you mean where do we go from here? You're a danger to us," Rosalie voiced her objections in a more moderate tone.

Harry looked down at his wand and nodded. Trinity hated that he was so used to being ostracized for his magic that he accepted Rosalie's words. She knew that if they didn't want anything to do with him because of his magic he wouldn't say a word to defend himself.

"We are just as dangerous to them Rose," Jasper reasoned, "I don't see why we can't get along."

Neither Trinity or Harry dispelled them of that notion. It was better all around if they believed that. Harry was looking around the table with a bit of hope. Trinity refilled her wine glass with a wave of her hand. She winked at Jasper as she raised her glass.

"I think that sounds wonderful," Trinity sipped her wine, "Let's talk. Maybe we'll find that we can all be friends."

HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP

It was close to midnight when Paul found himself standing in front of Jacob's house. He didn't even know what he was doing here. It wasn't like he and Jacob were close. Things had fallen apart when the pack split. They were getting better but Paul was still having a hard time wrapping his head around being friendly with the vampires.

The normally soothing night sound were grating on his nerves. He had a raging headache from listening to his pack mates shouting in his head. Demands to know what was going on, revulsion about his imprint, and angry words when they realized that he was ignoring them. Shifting had always helped him clear his head but this time it had bordered on torture.

He couldn't think of one reason that Jacob would be different. Sure, Jacob was a good guy and a good alpha. He stood up for his friends and supported them. Hell, even Leah liked and respected him. But even when they had been part of the same pack, he and Jacob hadn't been especially close. Paul hadn't been able to fully trust him because of Bella and her relationship with the leeches.

So what was he doing here? Could he even talk to Jacob about this? What would he do if Jacob turned on him too? Paul was an independent guy, always had been. But his wolf needed the support of a pack and the guidance of an alpha. He could live without it sure but it would be like he was missing a part of himself. As long as he had Harry in his life it would be worth it.

He was so wrapped up in his own thoughts he never noticed the massive russet wolf come out of the trees. He never saw the wolf change or Jacob pulling on his shorts. He was oblivious to Jacob looking him over with curious concern. The young alpha didn't share minds with him anymore but he didn't need to to know that something had been bothering him. He quietly walked up behind the other man and laid a hand on his shoulder. Honestly he should have been prepared for the reaction he got.

Paul stiffened in surprise before spinning and throwing a punch. His eyes widened as his fist connected with Jacob's face. He cringed when Jacob staggered back and braced himself for retaliation. Jacob worked his jaw but he didn't raise his fist. He simply looked at Paul with a raised eyebrow.

"It's good to see you too," was all he said.

Paul bit his cheek to keep from laughing. "Sorry about that."

"It's alright," Jacob shrugged, "Do you want to come in?"

Paul took a deep breath and nodded. Jacob stepped around him, leading the way into the house. Paul slipped his hands into his pockets and followed quietly. What was he even doing here? Could he even talk to him? Jacob may be an alpha but he wasn't his alpha. Though talking to his alpha hadn't exactly worked out for him.

The house was quiet and dark when they walked in. He assumed that Billy was already asleep. Jacob led the way into the kitchen, turning the light on as he went to the fridge. "You want something?" Jacob asked, pulling out the plate of sandwiches that Billy had left for him and a soda.

Paul shook his head. Jacob shrugged before sitting down at the table and taking the plastic wrap off the sandwiches. Watching the other boy eat Paul couldn't find the nerve to open his mouth. He wasn't even sure what he wanted to say or if he even wanted to say anything. It had been hard enough to talk to Sam about it and that had gone so well.

Jacob was patient. He ate quietly without staring at Paul. He would glance up but his eyes didn't linger. Paul didn't know if that made things harder or easier. Part of him just wanted Jacob to demand answers and part of him was hoping that he never did.

Taking a deep breath Paul took the plunge. "I imprinted on Harry," his heart was lodged in his throat the same way it'd been the first time he went cliff diving.

Jacob froze in place and his eyes snapped to Paul. After a moment he carefully lowered his sandwich to the plate. The younger boy cleared his throat before asking, "How do you feel about that?"

To say that he wasn't expecting that response was an understatement. Sam certainly asked him how he felt about everything. Paul shrugged, "Scared mostly," he said honestly.

Jacob sat back in his chair and looked at him consideringly. "What are you scared of?"

"I've never had feelings for a guy. What will Harry think about all of this? Would he even consider a relationship with a guy? What's going to happen with the pack?" Paul shrugged, "Is there something wrong with me? Sam thinks so. He tried to tell me to stay away from Harry. Then he tossed me out of his house. Told me not to come back until he knew what to do about me. When I shifted the others weren't exactly supportive either."

"What was Sam's objection?"

"I can't strengthen or expand the pack with a guy. That's what the imprinting is supposed to be for after all."

"Who says you can't?" Paul jerked his head around when Billy spoke from the doorway. He looked like he'd just hauled himself out of bed and might be fighting sleep still.

"Huh?" was his eloquent response.

"The pack doesn't need to expand. Even with two packs there have never been so many wolves among the tribe. There must be something about Harry that can strengthen the tribe. Two-spirit people have historically been seen as strong members of a tribe. Imprinting is something from the old ways and can't be influenced by modern prejudices," Billy explained, "I will talk to Sam but I can't make his decision for him."

Paul hadn't even considered himself a two-spirit person. Two-spirit people were people that didn't fit gender norms. They were often gender neutral or identified strongly with the gender they hadn't been born with. Those who preferred the same sex fell in the category too. The history of two-spirit people hadn't interested him before because it was something that had never effected his life.

"If Sam goes against me, what am I going to do?" Paul asked so quietly that Jacob had to strain to hear him.

Jacob smiled kindly at him. "If Sam turns you out of his pack or you decide to leave it on your own, you're always welcome to join my pack. I won't turn you away over something you have no control over," Jacob grinned, "And Seth really likes Harry. He'll be over-the-top excited that he's going to be a part of the tribe."

Paul snorted, "Seth gets over-the-top excited over a hotdog."

Billy huffed out a laugh, "True."

Paul felt lighter. He only stayed a few minutes more because Billy and Jacob both needed to get some sleep. He was glad that he had options. As much as it would hurt if he had to leave Sam's pack, he was glad that he wouldn't be on his own.

He ran home on two feet. He needed to get to bed himself. He was going to call Harry tomorrow and invite him over. He would have to get up early to make sure the house was spotless before he made that call. Once he was in bed he quickly fell asleep. It had been a long, emotionally draining day after all.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Here's the next chapter. I apologize again for it being so late. I've made good progress on the next chapter so I should be able to get it out on time next week. Thank you for your patience and understanding. Enjoy.**

 _ **Chapter Ten**_

After leaving the Cullens Harry had fallen asleep in the car. Of course they hadn't left until well after midnight. There had been a lot of talking about magic and vampirism. They had talked some about their families, as much as they could with Harry being reluctant to go into his life with his aunt and uncle. There was some talk about the vampire's gifts. Then there had been some discussion about their expectations for future interactions and friendships.

When Harry woke up he was surprised to find that he was in his bed. He wondered how he had slept through Trinity putting him to bed. He really really hoped that she'd transfigured his clothes into pajamas instead of changing him. His scars were not something he was comfortable letting anyone see, most especially the ones under his clothes.

Reaching for his cane, Harry got out of bed. He took care of business before heading for the kitchen. He would shower and change after breakfast. He hoped Kreacher had something ready because he was starving. He wondered if Trinity was going to be up early again.

"Morning Kreacher," Harry said around a yawn.

The old elf looked up from his cooking and slowly blinked his huge eyes. He had this look of surprise every time Harry greeted him in the mornings. You'd think he'd have gotten used to it by now. "Breakfast is being done soon," he responded as gruffly as any elf could manage.

Harry smiled ruefully before taking a seat at the counter. It was the same every morning. He didn't think Kreacher would ever offer him a good morning. Even after the change in attitude and his constant help since the final battle the elf was still what he had been conditioned to be. And as old as he was Harry didn't think there was enough time to recondition him.

A plate laden with eggs, sausage, and toast was placed in front of him without a word. A butter dish and jar of strawberry jam was placed next to the plate. Kreacher was quick to give him silverware and a glass of milk. Harry wanted tea but he knew that he wouldn't get any until after he finished the milk. The elf was determined to keep him as healthy as possible. Harry knew that he would be expected to drink a glass of juice and a nutrient potion at lunch before he got his tea.

Between his injuries and his less than stellar upbringing Harry needed extra nutrients. He hated the potion and wouldn't have bothered to take it if left to his own devices. Of course, Snape and Pomfrey both knew this. After discussing it between themselves they had decided to sick the elf on him. Harry was his master and his master had to be taken care of at all cost.

"Kreacher, did you deliver my letters?" Harry asked.

"Yes Master Harry," the elf answered, "They is answering by owl they said."

Harry nodded before tucking in. As he ate he thought about what he could do today. All he really wanted to do was sit and relax. So did he want to watch TV, study, or read? Maybe Trinity would want to keep him company. Or maybe she would work on her magic again and he could watch. The way she did magic fascinated him.

"Has Trinity gotten up yet?"

Kreacher shook his head, "Mistress be sleeping still."

Harry watched as the elf plated Trinity's breakfast and placed it in stasis. What was he going to do with himself until his sister finally roused herself? As soon as he cleaned his plate the industrious elf whisked it away. He was finally given his tea to enjoy while Kreacher started cleaning the kitchen. The old elf did make wonderful tea. It was worth the milk and the nutrient potion.

The ringing phone startled him causing him to slosh his tea. Frowning at the admittedly small amount of wasted tea on the counter, Harry reached over and snatched the phone from the cradle. "Hello?" he spoke with mild annoyance. He didn't like wasting his tea.

" _Hi Harry. It's Paul."_

All annoyance forgotten, Harry smiled. "Hey Paul. What's up?"

" _Nothing much. I was wondering what you were doing today."_

Harry finished off his tea and gave the cup to Kreacher. "I'm waffling between studying and television at the moment," he answered honestly.

Paul laughed lightly, making Harry smile. _"As exciting as that sounds I was hoping to talk you into coming over. I was thinking about teaching you about video games."_

Now that sounded much better than trying to wrap his head around math. And Trinity was easier to get along with in the afternoons when she was more awake. "That sounds good. Are you going to come and get me? Because I can't drive."

" _You can't drive. Why not?"_ Paul's voice was full of surprise.

"Never had any reason to learn," Harry said with a laugh, "Now with this bum leg I don't see it happening any time soon. It's easier not to drive and right now, I'm all about easy."

" _I guess I can understand that. When you're ready I could teach you. But for now I can pick you up. It's not a problem."_

"Great. How long until you get here do you think?"

" _About twenty minutes I think."_

That would give him just enough time to shower and get himself put together. "I'll see you in a bit then. Bye."

" _See you soon."_

Harry put the phone back in the cradle and hurried off to his room. He rushed through his shower being careful not to fall. Once he was finished he was grateful to find that Kreacher had been in to lay out his clothes. The elf must have been sorely disappointed not to find any wizards robes. Harry was glad to only have jeans and shirts available because any other option would have him digging through his closet trying to find something suitable to wear around muggles.

He found Kreacher cleaning the already spotless living room. "I'm going over to Paul's today. Will you tell Trinity when she wakes up?"

A sharp jerk of his head was the only response Harry got. Taking that as a yes Harry sighed and went out onto the porch. Paul was just pulling up when he closed the door behind him. Checking to make sure his wand was secure against his forearm, Harry stepped off the porch and headed to Paul's truck. The Quileute boy grinned and Harry was quick to return it with one of his own.

Harry put his cane in first and then heaved himself into the truck. It was much higher off the ground than Trinity's car. "You need a smaller truck," Harry joked when he was finally settled in.

Paul laughed, "No can do. I need it for work."

Harry heaved a heavy sigh, "Well, if we're going to be friends I suppose I'll just have to get used to it."

His new friend laughed harder and Harry joined him. It felt good to laugh. He'd laughed more since leaving England than he'd laughed in years. The two of them fell into comfortable silence for the rest of the trip to Paul's house. And Harry was glad they didn't feel the need to talk. Sometimes talking was overrated.

Paul pulled up to a small brown house with black shutters and a long front porch. There were two rocking chairs on one end and two tall tool boxes sitting on the other. Next to the house there was a garage that was nearly the same size as the house. There wasn't much of a yard because the house backed right up to the trees. It looked peaceful and homey.

Paul was tense beside him. Harry wondered what was wrong with him. "This is great. You live here?" Harry said with a brilliant smile.

His companion relaxed ever so slightly. "You think it's great?"

Harry nodded vigorously. "It's like a little slice of heaven. It's peaceful and perfect and feels a little like home."

The smile on Paul's face was a mix of relief and pride. "Thanks, I like it too. Come on, let's go inside."

Gingerly lowering himself to the ground Harry turned his attention to the garage. "Why is the garage so big?" He asked while reaching for his cane.

Paul mumbled something under his breath. And Harry saw something completely unexpected. The big, copper skinned man had gone all shy on him and he was blushing. He hadn't thought that Paul was the shy type. "What did you say?" Harry asked after closing the door.

Straightening his shoulders and clearing his throat Paul said, "It's my workshop."

"Your workshop? That's where you made that beautiful mirror and all of that furniture at the B&B? Isn't it dark in there? How do you work in the dark?"

"I expanded the garage last year. I added a lot of skylights and since we don't actually get a lot of sun I also put in a lot of lights and extra outlets." Whatever bout of shyness Paul'd had just moments before seemed to have vanished. Now he was speaking with pride.

"Can I see it?"

The hesitation was so small that Harry almost missed it. "Sure," he said before leading the way to the building.

Harry started after him, moving slowly as per usual. Paul soon realized that he was leaving him behind and slowed his pace. Whatever he was thinking he was kind enough to keep it to himself. Maybe Trinity wasn't the only one who knew how to hover without hovering. None of his friends in England could do it or would do it. Maybe they'd known him too long and still saw him as that frightened eleven-year-old that they met on the school train. The people here, including Trinity, had only ever known the too-stubborn-for-his-own-good man that he'd become.

"How long have you been making furniture?" Harry asked as they reached the workshop.

Paul shrugged, "I've been wood working most of my life. My dad used to be really good at it before his eyes started to go. I love it and people tell me I'm good. It's soothing. And it helps pay the bills, the tourists really go for handcrafted stuff."

Harry nodded, "Tourists are one thing but according to Mrs. Miller and Chief Swan the locals want your work too. Have you ever considered the internet? My aunt used to buy all sorts of things from the computer."

Granted, Harry had never used a computer. He wasn't sure how the internet worked really. He just knew what he'd overheard Petunia and Vernon talking about when they were looking for something extremely expensive for Dudley. They hadn't been able to find it in London so they'd gotten it off the computer. Harry hadn't even been allowed to look at the computer until after Dudley had shoved it off the desk after losing a game. Of course it had been replaced post haste while Harry was left to clean up the mess.

"I never thought of it. It's only me and I can only work so fast. Once school starts I'll have even less time," Paul lifted the garage door, "I don't know if I could keep up with the kinds of orders that could possibly come from the internet."

"From what little I've seen, you're an artist, and the people I've met are always willing to wait for art," Harry told him as he followed him into the workshop.

If Paul responded, Harry never heard him. His eyes skipped over the tools. He had no idea what they were for so they didn't mean anything to him. All he could focus on was the pieces of furniture all around the big space. He made his way over to a chair that looked like a work in progress. The chair itself was finished but from the state of the carvings, Paul had a ways to go. Only one arm was done and the back was only half done.

Harry moved on to some of the frames hanging on the walls. These were finished and stained. He didn't understand what the designs meant, or even if they had a meaning, but they were intricate and beautiful. The detail was amazing. Even the finest wandmakers didn't put this much effort into their wands. He carefully traced the carvings on a few of these before moving deeper into the workshop.

There were tables, chairs, dressers and benches. Where there weren't tools hanging, the walls were covered with frames and mirrors and other decorative pieces. There were animal figurines and small boxes and even a few toys. Paul was either a faster worker than he let on or he never slept.

Then Harry spotted a trunk tucked under a work bench. It was made from a medium toned wood. It was a flat-topped steamer trunk with dark wood pieces where the iron hardware would be on a typical trunk. There were different nature scenes carved in the three panels on the front. Each scene had a wolf in it. The one on the left was stalking something hidden in the trees. The one on the right was drinking from a stream with two cubs under its feet. The largest panel in the center had two wolves howling up at the full moon. It was the most amazing thing he'd ever seen.

"I want this," Harry ran his hand over the front of the trunk the awe he felt clear in his voice, "How much do you want for it?"

"You can have it," Paul said gruffly.

Harry turned to look at him with a frown. "You put a lot of work into this. I want to pay for it. You can't just give it away. I won't take it if you're not going to let me pay for it. And I have an idea of what something like this should cost. So tell me what you were planning on charging for it."

Paul glared at him. The two of them entered a staring contest. Harry wouldn't lose. He'd stared down one of the worst dark lords this world had ever seen. He hadn't lost that one and he wasn't going to lose this one. Paul crossed his arms over his chest. Harry just kept staring. After about two minutes Paul was the first to look away.

He rattled off a price that sounded reasonable. Harry nodded. "Good. I'll have it tomorrow," Harry grinned, "You do amazing work."

Color stained Paul's cheeks as he looked back at Harry. "Thanks," he returned the smile, "How about those video games now?"

"Let's go."

Harry filled the trip to the house with questions about the technical bits of wood carving. What kind of tools and what techniques Paul used, things like that. It was interesting. From what Paul was describing, this work required a lot of patience. He didn't think that Paul's temper problem was as big of a deal as he was making it out to be. Maybe he was magnifying a few blow ups into a bigger problem. Harry knew what it was like to have bouts of temper, that didn't mean he had an anger management problem.

The inside of the house was nice, if a little small. The walls were painted a soft cream color. The furniture that Harry could see as they passed through the house was slightly worn but well taken care of. He did see a few handcrafted pieces, like the kitchen table, that were older but holding up very well. There were smaller pieces that Harry was sure that Paul had made. It was wonderful. He could practically feel the love in the house. Harry would have given anything to have grown up in a house like this.

Paul kept going until they reached his bedroom. The small room was almost completely taken over by the bed. Paul had to have made this. Harry had never seen a bed so large. Considering the size of the other boy, he needed a bed this size. There was a dresser squeezed in at the foot of the bed with barely enough room to open the drawers. On top of the dresser was a decent sized television and a gray box with two black things sitting on top of it. There was a shelf over the television that was lined with slim plastic boxes. Harry assumed these were the games.

"Have a seat," Paul motioned to the bed while he looked over the games.

Harry eased himself on the end of the bed. Paul was telling him about the games he had. He listened and waited for something to catch his interest. Five games in he found himself intrigued. "Civil war, dragons trying to take over the world, magic, werewolves and evil elves? I wanna try that one," Harry interrupted him before he could move on to the next game.

Paul grinned, "Great. It's one of my favorites."

He handed Harry one of the black things and turned on the television. Then he sat beside him and proceeded to explain about the controller and gameplay. It was going to be an interesting afternoon. The boys settled in to waste the day slaying dragons.

HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP

Severus was still in a little bit of shock at receiving a letter from Harry. He had assumed that once the boy had left he wouldn't hear from him again. It's not they were close. He'd terrorized the boy for the majority of the time they'd known each other. Some of it had been for show and some had been because of his father but, no matter the reason, it certainly didn't endear them to each other.

When Harry decided to cut himself off from the world Severus had decided that that wasn't acceptable. Whatever his feelings were for Potter, he wouldn't allow him to become the same bitter hermit Severus was. It was too late for him but Harry still had plenty of time to prevent that. So Severus had bullied his way in and brought Poppy with him. Merlin knew the witch was better with people than he was.

Why had Potter even thought of writing to him? Severus certainly hadn't been nice to the boy. He had been curt and harsh during the visits, when he actually bothered to speak to him. His behavior had gotten him more than one glare from Poppy. But as far as he could tell it was about the only way to get a reaction out of Harry.

Harry had taken the time to thank Severus for not giving up on him and for introducing him to his sister. He even asked how Severus was getting along. And he told him a little about the new house and some of the people he'd met. The information was given in a general fashion, Harry wasn't willing to give up his location.

The letter had been delivered by Black's infernal elf. Harry still hadn't gotten himself an owl. Having no love for the elf, Severus had quickly sent the creature on his way. Severus sighed. Now he was going to have to respond to the letter and find an owl to deliver it.

The floo flared and Poppy stepped through without even bothering to announce herself. Her gaze darted to the letter in his hand before moving to his face. "Did Harry send you a letter too?" she asked, moving closer to his desk.

"He did," Severus sat back in his chair, "Though I am still trying to understand his reasoning."

Poppy sent him a bemused smile, "He cares about you Severus, the same as you care about him. You're relationship may never be a friendly one but you do care about each other."

To say he was horrified by this assessment was an understatement. Really, how could the woman say such a horrid thing? Was she trying to insult him? He'd never known her to be deliberately hurtful before. Honestly, him caring for the boy was the most ridiculous thing he'd ever heard.

"What did Potter want with you?" he practically growled at the woman.

"To tell me about his life and to thank me for taking care of him," Poppy sat in the chair across from his desk, "And he asked if I'd heard from any of his friends. If they'd asked about him."

Severus looked down at his letter again. Harry hadn't mentioned his friends to him. At least he knew his friends well enough to know that they wouldn't get in contact with him. "Have you heard from any of his friends?"

Poppy shook her head, "Not for months except for Mr. Longbottom. I don't believe Minerva has heard from Mr. Weasley and Ms. Granger either. What do I tell Harry?"

Well used to being disappointed by children Severus wasn't the least bit surprised by this. "I've always found that honesty is always the best. It may hurt the boy but at least he'll know where he stands."

With a heavy sigh Poppy said, "I suppose you're right. I have to go write a letter to Harry. It's not going to be easy."

"And I'll go find an owl suitable for delivering to wherever Potter is living now."


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: For those of you who are following this story, I did post chapter ten last week. I replaced the note with the chapter, expecting it to say that I updated it. It was a surprise to me when it didn't. So please go back and read chapter ten. I do apologize for taking so long. Right now I have some ideas coming into my head out of order. I'm writing them down as they come so I don't forget them but I'm having trouble putting them together. So my updates are probably going to be all over the place from here on out. I'd like to thank all of you for your kind reviews and for following me. I'm glad (and a little surprised) you find my work worth reading. Here's the next chapter, enjoy...**

* * *

 _ **Chapter Eleven**_

Trinity wandered downstairs after eleven hungry for breakfast. She'd slept well enough that only two cups of coffee would be enough. At least that was the hope. She really needed to find a better way to get moving in the mornings. Immortal or not, this much coffee couldn't be good for her system.

Kreacher had left her breakfast in stasis on the counter. She also found fresh coffee in the pot. She happily dug in, knowing that the elf wouldn't bother with feeding her lunch. He was a stickler for feeding schedules. Her breakfast was late enough to fall into the scheduled time for lunch. She was on her own until dinner.

As she ate she thought about her day. There was no work for her to do today. She'd handled everything she needed to until after Harry saw the healer. Until her mother could decide how she wanted to handle this world Trinity didn't really have much more to do. Reviewing contracts and reaffirming contacts could only take so long.

Maybe she and Harry could go to Port Angles, see what the larger town had to offer. There were movies to be seen and shops to be explored. They could go shopping. They needed food and clothes, well Harry needed new clothes. Honestly, she didn't see how most of his clothes were still holding together.

Maybe she could go terrorize his aunt and uncle. They certainly deserved it and it would be fun. She wasn't bound by the laws of this world. Nor was she bound by the same moral compass as her brother. Her views on right and wrong weren't nearly as rigid as Harry's. Personally Trinity saw nothing wrong with a little vengeance. The only question was how upset Harry would be with her if she did go and play with the Dursleys.

Harry had the power to go after them. He'd had ample opportunity to punish them. He could even do it legally if she remembered the laws of this world correctly. He could break the laws to deal with them and no one would say anything against him if he was caught. He was their savior after all. The only thing that was keeping him from punishing the Dursleys was his intrinsic goodness.

Trinity was mostly a good person but she could be ruthless when it came down to it. She could and would do anything to protect her family. She would do anything to avenge her family when she couldn't protect them. Harry's goodness wouldn't allow him to fully understand that.

Fighting in a war was one thing. Morals would only get you so far on the battlefield. Harry didn't even have it in him to cause real pain to the woman who'd just killed his godfather in front of him. And from what she'd been able to learn about the final battle, he hadn't cast one of the so-called Unforgivables. He would never approve of her terrorizing the Dursleys. Damn it.

Practicing was always an option. But she really didn't want to. She'd mastered three elements faster than anyone that came before her, including her mother. There really was no hurry to master the last. She could more than afford to blow off practice for a day of two. Hell, she could afford to blow it off for a year. The only pressure to learn was the pressure she put on herself.

As she finished her breakfast, she finally woke up enough to notice how quiet the house was. She frowned. Where was her brother? "Kreacher!" she called, pushing her plate away.

The elf was there almost before the sound of her voice died. "Yes Mistress?"

"Where is Harry?" she asked.

"Master Harry is being with Paul," Kreacher told her, "He be leaving after his breakfast."

"Oh." Well, there went spending the day with Harry in Port Angles. Trinity forcefully shoved away her disappointment. It was good that Harry was spending time with his friends. It was what she wanted for him. "Thank you Kreacher. That will be all."

Trinity sighed as she contemplated finding more work to do. She really wanted to have the day off from anything pressing. Maybe she should give grocery shopping a shot. Kreacher could easily make up a list for her. It was either that or practicing. She didn't want to go to the reservation because she didn't want to intrude on Harry's new friendship and she didn't want him to think that she didn't trust him out on his own.

Trinity had started up the stairs to find something presentable to wear when she felt it. Someone or something was trying to breach the ward. She froze mid-step and sought out the intruder. Tapping into the ward she soon found what was causing the disturbance. It was one of the vampires. With a frustrated huff Trinity teleported, landing directly in front of the fighter.

"Hello Jasper."

HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP

After Trinity and Harry left for the night the Cullens had discussed everything the pair had revealed. Even with them being vampires magic wasn't something that had ever occurred to them. An entire race of people who could call fire with a thought. Who could cut down an immortal being with just a few words. It was a frightening prospect.

As far as Jasper could tell they were lucky to have never run into wizards before. He wondered how many vampires had been killed by wizards over the years. It had to be quite a few. Any vampire that had come across one had to have been destroyed before they could tell anyone else about them.

Eventually the others had gone their separate ways. To be with their mates, to reassure each other that they had survived an encounter with beings that could easily destroy them. Seeing as he had no one, Jasper was left to sort through his feelings on his own.

After sitting for what seemed like hours Jasper decided to leave the house. Being bothered by everyone's emotions was making it difficult for him to process everything. He was almost certain that he wasn't nearly as nervous as the others. He needed to separate from them to be sure.

Jasper ran into the forest. Once he was deep enough that he could no longer feel anyone else he stopped. Taking an unnecessary breath, Jasper cleared his mind of everything. It was time to sort through it all.

Their new neighbors were wizards. Magic was very real and the people that used it didn't like vampires very much. Before Harry was injured his reflexes were apparently nearly as good as a vampire's. It stood to reason that there were others who were the same. Trinity didn't even need a wand to make fire. She couldn't possibly be the only ones. Truth be told all of that made him nervous.

But Harry and Trinity both seemed to be open minded. They weren't afraid of them. They didn't seem to hate what they were. Harry was intent on making friends and simply overlooked the whole blood sucking thing. Trinity, as intimidating as she'd been at the start, seemed to be merely curious. She wanted to know everything they were willing to tell her.

They intrigued him. They didn't smell like food. Harry really did smell unappetizing under the smell of his magic. Not as bad as the wolves, but still. And Jasper couldn't smell Trinity's blood at all. Maybe her magic was so strong it overpowered the scent of her blood entirely. And he couldn't feel them. Their emotions were completely cut off from him. Alice couldn't see them. Edward couldn't hear them. He wondered if Bella could keep them out of her mind or if Nessie's power would work on them.

Trinity was beautiful. Her odd coloring fascinated him. Her brilliant blue eyes framed by those long bi-colored lashes were the most interesting he'd seen in his long life. She was funny and ballsy. And she observed absolutely everything. Jasper had no doubt that she'd sized them up and figured them out within moments of meeting them. It was no wonder Bella hadn't been able to hide being a vampire from the woman.

He wanted to know more about her. He wanted to know about those tattoos of hers. He didn't know anyone with tattoos. High school kids weren't old enough for them and vampires couldn't get them. He wanted to know how someone so young became so observant. He wanted to understand how she felt about the power she wielded.

Jasper was a curious soul. He always had been, even as a human. As a vampire he had all the time in the world to learn anything his heart desired. Harry and Trinity were something new to learn about. But was that all it was where Trinity was concerned? He wanted to know more about her personally than the world she came from. Why was that, he wondered. Something else for him to be curious about.

Without really thinking about his actions Jasper turned toward the wizards' home. He took off through the trees hoping that they were home and willing to talk. Or maybe they would be willing to let him hang out for a while. Being around people he couldn't feel would be a nice and extremely welcome change.

It only took minutes to reach what he knew was their property. He smiled slightly when he felt the power that came from them. That smile abruptly fell from his face when he slammed into some sort of invisible wall. What the hell?

Jasper frowned as he felt the wall that he couldn't see. He pushed hard against it with no results. This made no sense. With his hand out he followed the wall and quickly decided that it probably went around the entire property. How was this possible? What had caused it? How was he supposed to get to Harry and Trinity with this in the way?

Jumping back about twenty feet, Jasper charged the wall at full speed. He hit it hard and bounced right off, landing on his ass. "Well, that was stupid," he muttered while getting to his feet and dusting off his pants. Jasper made a fist and hit the wall with everything he had and actually hurt him hand.

He cursed under his breath. He didn't want to have to go back home without seeing them. He was honestly considering hitting the wall again when he found himself face to face with a pajama clad, barefoot Trinity.

She smirked at him. "Hello Jasper."

Lowering his fist, he responded, "Hello Trinity."

"What brings you here?" Trinity asked with a smile, "I'm positively certain I just saw you last night."

If Jasper could blush he probably would be right now. Other than his curiosity he really had no good reason to be here. So he decided to go with the truth. "I was curious," he told her, "I was wondering if you would mind answering some more questions."

"We answered quite a few last night. What more if there for you to learn?"

"There is always more to learn." Jasper quipped, "Like why there is an invisible wall between us."

Trinity laughed softly. "A thirst for knowledge in a fighter is a rare thing indeed. Are you a warrior strategist then? You don't strike me as a common foot soldier," she looked him over with keen eyes, "As for the wall, it is a bit of magic called a ward. Pure humans can cross it easy enough for they pose no threat. Anyone that means harm can't pass through it. And no magical creature can pass through it without my permission. I haven't added you lot because having you around Harry in his condition makes me uneasy."

Jasper frowned, "We wouldn't hurt him."

"Not on purpose, no," Trinity stepped closer, "A vampire, no matter how tame, can always lose control of themselves. And, from what I have seen, Rosalie isn't exactly the most controlled vampire."

"She's always been a bit high strung and overly protective. The last few years haven't been easy on her nerves."

"Ah... the troubles brought on by an overeager human and power hungry vampires," Trinity nodded in understanding, "but that excuse will not gain her entry to my home until Harry can better protect himself. I will allow you through now but I will revoke the permission unless I am here."

It surprised him how much it stung that she didn't trust him. He really couldn't blame her. She'd only just met him. He was a vampire, one that had survived on human blood for over a century. And her brother was basically crippled with little hope of recovery. But despite all the logical arguments it still hurt. He just didn't understand why it hurt.

Still, she was inviting him in and he wasn't going to pass up the opportunity to speak with her. "I understand," he said before taking a step forward.

Where the wall had been only moments before there now seemed to be nothing. He didn't even feel it as he came to a stop at Trinity's side. It was truly amazing what the woman could do with just a thought and a few words.

"Walk with me." Trinity started walking along the edge of the property.

Jasper easily fell into step beside her. "How is it that none of our gifts work on you?" he asked after a moment.

Trinity shrugged. "I honestly don't know. I can theorize that our magic is simply interfering with your particular gifts. Or our magic is simply too powerful for what are essentially enhanced human abilities. And our magic protects us from outside forces if it can."

"You talk like it has a mind of its own."

"Magic is a living thing in many ways. It chooses who can wield it. And it fiercely protects those wielders. Magic is everywhere in varying degrees. It needs to be channeled and challenged to flourish. When the wielders stop changing and pushing the boundaries magic can become stagnant and eventually fade away until new wielders are chosen."

Jasper found this fascinating. Magic was sentient and everywhere. It seemed to function much like the human brain. Once a person stopped learning their brain started to die. They had to exercise it regularly to retain their brain cells. Wielders appeared to be like brain cells. He wondered if magic was like the brain of the world.

"Are all wizards as powerful as you and Harry?"

Trinity shook her head. "Wizards have varying degrees of power, much the same as any other being. Even strength varies among vampires. Are you as strong as Emmett?"

That made sense. If every wizard had the kind of power that he could feel rolling off of Trinity they would probably destroy the world. "Why do you and Harry look so different?" he asked after a moment.

"We have different mothers," Trinity glanced at him, "and we were raised differently. Which is not something I'm willing to discuss further at this time."

Before Jasper could think of something else to ask she came back with a question of her own. "What is your history? You don't get to ask all the questions."

"I lied about my age and joined the Confederate army. I was good enough at my job to be promoted quickly. One night I offered help to the wrong women and they turned me. They wanted power like so many others so there were a lot a vampire wars. I was used to train newborn vampires and build an army. Eventually I was convinced to leave them and was a nomad for the longest time. I met Alice and together we joined the Cullens. She was my wife for the better part of a century."

Trinity eyed him curiously, "Was your wife?"

"Until a few months ago," Jasper looked over at her and quickly looked away, "When we met Nahuel she discovered that he was her mate. That brought an end to our marriage. I've been at loose ends ever since."

"Why do you stay with them? I imagine losing your wife of a century hurt a great deal."

"They're my family. I love them and they love me. They help me stick to the all animal diet. They support me when I need it. The pain will fade away after time but the love is eternal."

"Why do you stick to an all animal diet? From what I understand human blood tastes much better and is healthier for you."

"I'm an empath. After I adjusted to being a vampire I realized that I could feel everything from others. The panic and fear from my victims was pure torture every time I fed. I was relieved to discover that I could survive off of animals."

"Would you switch back to human blood if you didn't have to kill to get it?"

Jasper shrugged. "I know it's an option now but it makes it harder not to give in to the instincts to hunt humans. If I had a guaranteed supply I might consider it but Carlisle would be disappointed."

"He is a healer so I can understand his point of view," Trinity spoke carefully, "But you shouldn't base such a big decision on how someone else feels about it. Even if they are your family."

Jasper blinked as her words struck him. He couldn't remember his human family. So the only experience he had with how families worked was the Cullens. It hadn't taken him long to see Carlisle and Esme as surrogate parents. He was more attached to them than he had been to his own sire. He had slipped before and Carlisle had been supportive and understanding. But he didn't think the elder vampire would be as supportive if Jasper chose to go back to human blood after working so hard to stay away from it. Could Jasper handle disappointing the man who had done so much for him? Would Jasper be disappointed in himself if he chose to give up his "vegetarian" diet? Jasper frowned. Why was he even thinking about this? He had more questions he wanted answers to.

Trinity turned them away from the property line and started moving to the house. "Let's go shopping," she said, breaking into his thoughts.

Jasper shook his head, not sure if he heard her correctly. "What?" was his eloquent response.

"We need food. I'm bringing you to the store with me," she smiled mischievously, "I have to dress first so let's go."

Jasper was at a loss for words as she grabbed his hand and pulled him along behind her. How had a quest for answers turned into a shopping trip?

HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP

Paul brought Harry home around supper time. They'd had a great time today, even if all they'd done was play video games and argue over the game's accuracy concerning magic use and dragons. It had been a strange but entertaining argument. Paul had enjoyed it immensely.

"So," Paul hesitated minutely before continuing, "Do you want to come over again tomorrow?"

Harry grinned over at him, "Sure. I had fun, more fun than I've had in a long time. Maybe I can watch you work some."

Averting his eyes as a wave of shyness rushed over him Paul nodded, "If you want."

Harry nodded eagerly, "Of course I do. You're really good and I want to see an artist at work."

Paul resisted the urge to snort at Harry's assessment. They got out of the truck, Paul going to the back to unload the chest. Harry made his way to the house ahead of him to open the door for him. Paul caught up to him quickly but said nothing. He didn't want to make Harry feel any worse than he already did about his injuries.

The sound of laughter reached them when Harry pushed open the door. Paul looked into the kitchen and froze fractionally. Why was there a vampire in his imprint's house? Every instinct he had was urging him to grab Harry and run. It was Jasper, the one who had the most trouble not eating humans. Harry wasn't safe here but he couldn't tell the boy why he wasn't safe. And why was Jasper laughing? Paul didn't think he'd ever heard the leech laugh before.

"Just take that and sit it at the foot of my bed," Harry was saying, "and join us in the kitchen." Then his imprint looked at the leech and said, "Hi Jasper."

Paul nearly dropped the chest. Harry knew the vampire. How did Harry know the vampire? Why did Harry know the vampire? What was going on here? Why did it sound like his imprint liked the dangerous bloodsucker in his kitchen? Why didn't he have the natural instinct to avoid the predator?And why in the hell hadn't Paul smelled Jasper as soon as he pulled up? For that matter, why couldn't he smell him now?

Paul hurried to put the chest down where Harry had asked him to before quickly going back to the kitchen. He didn't want to leave Harry in a room with the leech without him for any longer than he had to. Harry and Trinity both smiled at him when he joined them. Jasper simply looked confused. Maybe the vampire was having the same trouble with his nose that he was.

"Hello Paul," Trinity grinned at him, "Do you know Jasper?"

"We've met," Paul bit out.

Harry arched an eyebrow at his tone, "I take it you're not friends."

Jasper cleared his throat, "Not especially."

Trinity laughed softly. "Well, there will be no fighting here. Do be so kind as to get along," she looked between the three of them before focusing on Harry, "Did you have a good time today?"

Harry nodded enthusiasticly. "I saw Paul's shop and we played video games. I also found out that Paul can only cook sandwiches."

"Hey, I'm sure there sure a lot of people who can't cook," Paul defended himself automatically with a laugh.

"I certainly can't," Trinity spoke.

"I can't either," Jasper said at practically the same moment.

Paul frowned. He wasn't sure he was happy to have something in common with a vampire. Maybe he should learn how to cook. Oh my god. He really wasn't considering making a life decision because of a vampire. He was losing his mind. He had to be.

Paul shook himself to clear his mind. "What brings you here Jasper?" What could Harry and his sister have done to attract the attention of the vampire?

Jasper gave him a tight smile, "Just welcoming the new neighbors."

"And they chose you to be the welcoming committee?" The vampire with the biggest control issues wouldn't have been his first choice.

"Actually, we met Bella first," Trinity told him, "and we went over for supper last night. Apparently I made such an impression that Jasper decided to spend the day with me."

"A decision I regretted almost as soon as she said she wanted to go shopping, I assure you," Jasper said with a smile to take the sting out of his words.

Trinity pouted, "It was just groceries."

Harry laughed. "Did you have fun?"

"It was more fun than shopping for clothes," Trinity grinned, "Are you two going to stay for dinner?"

Jasper shook his head, "I left this morning without a word. I'm sure they're worried. Thanks for the day Trinity. We should do it again. It was nice to see you again Harry."

"I'll walk you out," Trinity linked her arm with Jasper's and lead him out of the house.

Paul turned to Harry, trying to come up with something to say that wouldn't push Harry away. "I'm not sure about you hanging out with the Cullens. They're not the nicest people," he said cautiously.

Harry sighed heavily and leaned against the counter. "Are the Cullens the ones that caused the problems between you and Jacob?"

Paul nodded, looking down at his feet, "They are. And my reasons for not liking them are the same now as they were then. I still don't like them and I still don't trust them. I'd rather you hang out with people I can trust."

"I know we haven't got into a lot of heavy stuff," Harry tapped his cane against his leg, "but I have been told what I could and couldn't do my entire life. Everyone in my life has told me who I could and couldn't be friends with. I'm finally free to make my own choices and I'm not going to allow anyone to make my choices for me any more. I want to be your friend and I like you a lot. But I'm also going to see if I can be friends with the Cullens too. Do you think you can handle that?"

There had to be something major that Harry was keeping to himself that even a suggestion got his back up. He could tell from Harry's tone that he was serious. And as much as he didn't like it, Paul was not willing to risk losing his imprint. He was just going to have to bite his tongue and keep an eye on things. He would also ask Jacob to talk to the Cullens, see if the alpha could find out what their purpose was.

"Yeah I can handle that," Paul cleared his throat and looked up with a smile on his face, "So, What's for dinner?"

Harry grinned, "I have no idea but I have a feeling I'm going to be cooking it."


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: And here's the next chapter. I hope you enjoy it.**

 **Disclaimer: I thought it was time to remind everyone that I do not own Harry Potter or Twilight. As much as I would like to, someone else beat me to it. Darn it.**

* * *

 _ **Chapter Twelve**_

Looking around the halls of her home, Minerva found that she was pleased. Other than a few scars the ancient castle was again ready for students. You would never know that a battle had been held here. The wards were fully functioning and stronger than they had ever been. The armor that had been damaged had either been repaired or replaced. The staircases were moving again. And as long as she was headmistress, nothing like that would ever happen again.

She was quietly excited that the students would soon be on their way back. She felt the castle was happiest when filled with chattering, laughing children. Not all of her colleagues felt that way, most notably Severus, but she felt the potions master protested too much. After all, there was no reason for him to be here anymore and yet he had decided to stay.

Not only was the school moving forward but one of her favorite students seemed to be as well. Poppy had told her just this morning that she'd heard from Harry and he sounded like he was doing well. The boy, well young man now, had even seen fit to write to Severus. And true to form, when it came to Harry at least, he snarked about it before going out and buying an owl. Having known the man most of his life Severus could do very little that surprised her.

When Trinity had arrived Minerva had hoped that Harry would take to her. From what she remembered of Miss Nagero the girl didn't know how to take no for an answer. She had a way of getting what she wanted without being overbearing about it. Harry needed someone like that in his life at the moment. She was happy that the two of them were seeming to get along. And Miss Nagero wasn't the type to allow herself to be pushed away.

That was something that severely disappointed her about Miss Granger and Mr. Weasley, the entire Weasley family for that matter. How could Hermione and Ronald allow Harry to keep them away? They hadn't asked after Harry in months. Not that she could tell them anything new but that was beside the point. Mr. Longbottom continued to pester them about Harry. His concern for his friend was palpable and admirable. Why was it that Harry's two closest friends didn't show the same level of concern?

Minerva continued on to her office trying to run everything that still had to be done through her mind. The problem was her mind wouldn't stay where she put it. Severus hadn't said much of anything about having a daughter of his own. She wished the stubborn man would speak about it. Having a family was something that had been denied him and he had accepted that. Now he found out that he had a grown child. That couldn't be easy. Of course Severus had never been one to complain about the truly hard things. Everyday nuisances were easy for him to fuss about but the things that truly mattered he kept close to the vest.

Upon entering her office she was quite unsurprised to find Neville sitting patiently in one of the straight-backed chairs in front of her desk. He came to his feet and offered a polite smile, "Good morning Professor."

"Good morning Mr. Longbottom," Minerva walked around her desk and took her seat, "What brings you here today?"

Neville returned to his seat once he was sure she was seated. His grandmother had certainly instilled some wonderful manners in the boy. "I've come to ask after Harry. I tried getting into his house to see if he was allowing visitors and it's been completely disconnected from the floo network. Usually the floo will activate but I can't get through but now it won't even activate. I'm worried, even more so than usual."

Minerva sighed softly. "Kreacher must have sealed it off when they left."

Neville frowned, "Harry left? Where did he go?"

"That I do not know," Minerva told him gently, "I haven't heard from him personally but he has written to Madam Pomfrey. She says that he sounds in good spirits."

"But why would he leave? Is he even in the condition to be wandering off Merlin knows where?"

"His reasons are not mine to share I'm afraid but I can assure you he is in no danger," Minerva reassured her former student, "I think he's starting to heal. He did ask about his friends in the letter he sent to Poppy. Maybe he'll be ready to speak to you soon."

Neville nodded with solemn acceptance. "I hope so. I miss him and I'm worried about him."

"Have you spoken to Ronald or Hermione?" Minerva asked after a moment.

"Last week," Neville answered shifting in the uncomfortable chair, "They didn't say anything about Harry. Not even in passing. They haven't talked about him for a while now. I always thought they would be more concerned than I am. Shouldn't they be?"

"Yes, I believe they should," Minerva sat back in her chair, "I will tell you the moment Harry wants to talk to you."

"Thank you. That's all I can ask," Neville stood and moved to the fireplace, "Though I'm sure I'll speak to you again before then."

"I'm sure you will," Minerva gave the young man a gentle smile, "Have a good day Mr. Longbottom."

"Good day Professor," he said with a tight smile before using the floo to head home.

After he was gone Minerva pursed her lips. What in Merlin's name was wrong with Ronald and Hermione? And what, if anything, was she going to do about it?

She would think on it later. Right now she needed to finish preparing for the new school year. There was still much to do. And maybe she would write her own letter to Harry.

HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP

Neville Longbottom was a quietly brave young wizard. He'd spent the majority of his childhood in the background being ignored. He'd always had very few friends and hadn't been bothered by that because the friends he did have were the truest of friends. And Harry had always been a true friend to him. Seeing the strength and determination that the other boy had, had helped Neville find his voice and his own strength.

It had started in his very first year at Hogwarts, even if he hadn't noticed at the time. Standing up to his friends had helped him find a way to stand up for himself. Once he could stand up for himself he had no trouble standing up for others. Going against the Carrows to protect the other students had been dangerous but that hadn't stopped him. Standing up to Voldemort had been the most terrifying thing he'd ever done in his life.

After that stepping in as head of his family had been easy. Apparently his grandmother had simply been waiting for him to be ready. He wasn't even nineteen yet but he had so many people counting on him. Between his family name and his status as a war hero he had political clout to wield. There were businesses he had to run and alliances he had to forge. And he was studying for his mastery in herbology to boot. At eighteen he was a very busy man.

But he still made time to check on Harry in the only way available to him. Going to Hogwarts as often as possible to speak to the only people who knew how Harry was doing. Even braving the dungeons on five occasions to speak to Snape. Which was only slightly less terrifying than telling Voldemort to kiss his ass.

He couldn't understand why Ron and Hermione weren't doing the same. Those two were much closer to Harry than anyone else had ever hoped to be. Why weren't they beating down the door and driving the professors mad demanding information on their best friend? It was baffling and Neville was going to find out what was going on.

With no hesitation Neville apparated to The Burrow. He landed just outside of the wards. He looked up at the crooked house, eyes slightly narrowed with determination, before striding up the gentle slope of the overgrown yard. He couldn't quite manage to look friendly but he did manage not to look like he was going to battle.

Neville knocked sharply on the door and schooled his features while he waited. It would do him no good to get anyone's back up before he even started. After all, he was hoping that there was a reasonable explanation for why Ron and Hermione had seemingly forgotten about Harry. Maybe they were gravely ill? Or grievously injured?

Ron opened the door after only a few moments. He blinked in surprise at Neville before offering a smile, "Hi Neville, what brings you here?"

"Hey Ron," Neville returned his smile with a small one of his own, "Can I come in?"

"Sure." Ron moved out of the doorway and Neville stepped inside.

Neville looked around at the cluttered, homey kitchen and could instantly see what Harry loved about the place. It was nothing like the austere home Neville had grown up in. Nor was it like the sterile, oppressive house Harry had grown up in. Love practically saturated the air. Everything was clean but cleanliness obviously wasn't an obsession like it had been for Neville and Harry. Where Harry had never been loved and love in the Longbottom household was only distantly felt, the Weasley's were effusive in their love for one another.

Molly was puttering around the kitchen, looking nothing like the fierce warrior who had killed Voldemort's most vicious lieutenant. He could see Arthur relaxing in the sitting room. He could hear Hermione and Ginny talking somewhere just out of sight. Neville knew that Bill and his wife were at their home on the coast and that Charlie had returned to Romania. He assumed that the twins were at their shop in Diagon Alley, though they were keeping unusually quiet of late. There was a small shrine to Percy on the mantle, the man having sacrificed himself to protect Fred in the last battle.

Turning his attention back to Ron, he said, "I was hoping to speak to you and Hermione, if it's not too much trouble."

Looking confused, Ron shrugged his shoulders, "Of course. Hermione's out in the back garden with Ginny." Ron turned away to lead the way through the kitchen.

Neville followed quietly, offering a smile to Molly as they passed her. She returned it even though he could see concern in her eyes. He didn't want the woman to fret and he hoped he hadn't given her the impression that there was something terribly wrong. That was never his intention. He would have to apologize for worrying her later.

The back garden was a wild tangle that made his plant loving heart ache just a little. It would be beautiful if someone would just take the time to tend it. Maybe now that the war was over and most of her children were out of the house Molly would have the time to bring it back to its former glory. Or maybe she liked it this way. He had to suppress a shudder at that thought.

Hermione was sitting in a chair next to Ginny and the two were talking about nothing important as far as he could tell. Both witches looked up when they spotted the two of them. Hermione smiled brightly at the sight of him. Ginny's smile was barely there. After she left Harry because of his injuries, Neville had been much cooler to the younger girl.

"Hi Neville," Hermione pretended not to notice the tension between him and Ginny. That was something else that bothered him. How could she still be friends with Ginny after what she had done?

"Hello Hermione," Neville completely ignored Ginny, "I wanted to talk to you and Ron about Harry."

Ginny quickly excused herself at this and Neville was happy to be out of her presence. Hermione's smile faltered at the other girl's hurried exit. "Has something happened to Harry?" she asked after a moment.

"I went to Hogwarts today to find out how he was," Neville moved to take Ginny's seat, "While I was speaking to Professor McGonagall she mentioned that the two of you hadn't been by to see about him in months. I was wondering why. Even Draco had voiced more concern than the two of you by all accounts."

Her smile fell from her face faster than he could blink. "We've been busy, what with dealing with losing Percy and traveling to Australia to collect my parents."

"Harry made it clear that he wanted to be left alone," Ron piped up from his position at Hermione's side.

"You've been busy? That's the best you can come up with?" Neville was seething, "I've been busy. I haven't had a chance to breathe since the war ended but that hasn't stopped me from regularly checking up on Harry. Madam Pomfrey and Snape have both gained entry to Harry's home. Even if you couldn't visit him personally, you could have asked after him. You haven't even taken a moment to write a letter."

Hermione shifted uncomfortably and looked away from him. Ron tensed, his temper trying to get the better of him. "He's shut himself away to sulk," the ginger's voice was tight, "We simply decided to wait until he was done pouting."

Contrary to popular belief, Neville did have a temper of his own. He was just better at controlling it, having grown up with a woman who believed showing emotion was unseemly. And Ron was very close to unleashing that temper. "You believe Harry is simply sulking?" he had to grip the arm of the chair he was sitting in to keep from shouting.

Hermione, despite being the brightest witch of her age, failed to notice the danger. "What else could he be doing? Honestly, the end of a relationship is not a reason to hide away from his friends. He'll get over it soon."

"Harry's always let his feelings run his life. He'll sulk for a bit longer and then everything will be fine," Ron said matter-of-factly.

Neville glared at the two of them knowing that if looks could kill these two would have been long in the grave. "You think Harry has been sulking for the better part of a year because of a simple break up?" his voice tightened as he fought to hols in his temper, "How can the two of you call yourselves his best friends if that is what you believe?"

Ron scoffed, "It's because we're his best friends that we know what's going on with him. What makes you think you know better?"

"Really Neville, Harry is just having a fit of temper and everything will be fine," Hermione soothed, having finally noticed Neville's mood.

"You two are the biggest bloody fools on the face of the earth," Neville bit out as he got to his feet, "How the hell the two of you managed to convince Harry that you are his friends is beyond me."

"Excuse me?" Hermione looked deeply offended.

Ron glared at him, "We are his friends despite what you may think. We know him a hell of a lot better than you."

And Neville lost his hold on his temper. "YOU KNOW NOTHING! HARRY WAS SO BADLY INJURED THAT MAGIC CAN'T HELP HIM. HE WILL NEVER WALK PROPERLY AGAIN AND WILL CARRY SCARS FOREVER! HE LOST HIS PARENTS AND HIS GODFATHER! HE HAD TO WATCH A FRIEND DIE! HE HAD TO WALK TO HIS DEATH AND THEN HE HAD TO KILL A MAN! HE'S BEEN JERKED AROUD BY THE PUBLIC ALL OF HIS LIFE! AND NOW THE PRESS ARE NEVER GOING TO LEAVE HIM ALONE!" Neville paced while he shouted.

Molly, Arthur, and Ginny all rushed out of the house. The elder Weasley's looking like they wanted to step in but not being foolish enough to try. Ron and Hermione were looking at Neville with wide, somewhat frightened eyes. They didn't know how to handle him like this. The mousy boy they had always known all but gone at the moment.

"AS FOR THE BREAK UP WITH GINNY, SHE DUMPED HIM BECAUSE SHE COULDN'T STAND TO LOOK AT HIM ANYMORE. NOT BECAUSE HE KILLED VOLDEMORT. OH NO! HIS SCARS TURNED HER STOMACH SO SHE DUMPED HIM WHILE HE WAS STILL IN HOSPITAL!"

Molly and Arthur gasped and turned to look at their only daughter. Ginny was deathly pale. She had used Harry's withdrawal from the world to tell a different story. One of a mutual break up where the two of them had decided they simply weren't suited. How did Neville know what had happened between her and Harry?

"Hey!" Ron shouted when Neville paused to take a breath, "I don't know where you're getting this crap from but that is not what happened!"

Neville snorted, "I was in the bed next to Harry with the curtains drawn when she came in. We were the last two in the hospital wing, waiting to be sent to St. Mungo's. Ginny came in and calmly told Harry that she couldn't be with someone who looked like him. Looking at him made her sick. She had to look at Bill because he was her brother but she didn't have to look at Harry and she wasn't going to. After she left Harry was crying so hard about everything that he had to be sedated before he tore open his wounds. I don't know what lies she's been spinning but I would be more than happy to offer up the memory if you don't believe me."

Hermione turned to look at her first female friend, "Ginny?"

Ginny made a noise of distress before running back into the house. Neville shook his head. "Harry has been suffering on his own for nearly a year. He is in constant pain with a mad elf as his only caretaker. A man who hates Harry simply for existing has shown more concern for him than his _best friends_ and the people who have always claimed to see him as a son," they could hear the disgust for them in his every word, "I had hoped that you would have a better reason than being _busy_. I have never been so disappointed in my life." Neville turned to leave.

Hermione's shaking voice stopped him, "How can we fix this?"

With a hollow laugh, Neville looked over his shoulder at them, "I don't think you can."

"Why not?" Arthur asked quietly.

"Grimmauld Place is sealed. Harry has left Britain. No one knows where he's gone and I doubt he'll be returning anytime soon. If he ever does."

With that Neville strode out of the garden. Ron called after him but he ignored the idiot. As soon as he was past the wards, Neville apparated away. He couldn't deal with Harry's so-called friends anymore.

Hermione and Molly were in tears. The Weasley men were in a state of shock. Neville had torn into them with brutal efficiency. He had brought their mistakes to light and the guilt was crushing. How had none of them thought to see how badly Harry was hurting? And now that he was gone what were they going to do?


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: Thanks to everyone for their kind reviews, follows, and favorites. There's a tiny time skip here and nothing really from Paul. He will be in the next chapter. And Jasper too, I think. This story is mostly about Harry and Paul and Harry and Trinity. All the others are mainly supporting characters. Trinity's friends will show eventually but not until after Harry's been healed. Like I said at the start, this is not going to be a short story. I can only hope that you all don't get bored with me.**

 **Oh, and sorry for any grammar mistakes in this bit. Other than a quick spell check, I didn't do much editing. It's 2 am and I didn't feel like it.**

* * *

 _ **Chapter Thirteen**_

A week had passed since Harry started hanging out with Paul. He hadn't seen any of the others but Paul didn't seem worried about it. When he wasn't with Paul he was with Trinity. He was trying to teach her how to cook. It wasn't going well but she was trying and they were having a good time. She'd told him more about her friends and about the places she'd gone to school. He'd told her about his friends and about the quiet times when they were hunting horcruxes.

He found that he really liked Trinity's sense of humor. She made ribald jokes and witty observations. And she was clumsy when she wasn't in princess mode, which surprised him. She often tripped over thin air, which made cooking interesting. They were often coated in whatever Trinity happened to be carrying at the time. They spent a lot of time laughing together.

There were more serious discussions too. She told him about trying to bridge the distance between her and her mother. She explained in detail about what was expected of her. And she told him about how lonely she was and how she'd resented her closest friends for finding happiness in each other and how guilty she felt about feeling that way.

Harry told her some about growing up with the Dursleys. She listened attentively when he talked about the neglect and ghosted over the abuse. Even though she hid it very well he could still see how angry that made her. She tried to understand how his early life had shaped him and offered what comfort she could without being patronizing. When things were getting too dark she would do something to make him laugh.

Trinity did whatever work she needed to do during the day while he was with Paul. She'd visited the American President of Magic and the Prime Minister of the Canadian Ministry. She was saving the British Ministry for last. Harry was a little afraid to ask why because he was sure that she was exceedingly angry at the British government. Harry wasn't comfortable asking what she had planned for them.

She usually didn't bother him while he was with Paul. So when she called and asked him to come home he had originally been worried. Trinity had reassured him that nothing was wrong, it was just that the healer had finally arrived. So Paul had brought him home.

As Harry opened the door he had to forcefully shove away the hope that was trying to worm its way in. Just because this healer was supposedly stronger than any healer he'd seen thus far didn't mean that he could be helped. This woman was probably just as useless as all the others had been.

Kreacher was dusting the TV. Without looking away from his task he said, "Mistress and Healer is being outside Master Harry."

"Thanks Kreacher."

Harry crossed the house. He only hesitated for the briefest moment before opening the door and stepping out on the deck. Trinity was sitting in one the new deck chairs, talking with the woman sitting next to her. Harry stopped and blinked in surprise. Well, she certainly wasn't what he'd been expecting. He had been expecting a matronly woman like Madam Pomfrey. This woman was no Madam Pomfrey.

She was young, tall and slender with long white blonde hair pulled back in a tight French braid. She was wearing black boots, dark jeans, and a blood red t-shirt. There was a leather jacket draped over the back of her chair. When she heard him she turned her gaze on him. Her eyes were a clear, bright turquoise. He'd seen a picture of a lake in Russia once where the ice was that color.

Then he saw the scars. There were four of them. Equal distance apart, they were diagonal cuts across her face from her hairline on the left, going across her face, and ending just under her jaw on the right side. It looked like something big had taken a swipe at her face. He had never seen a healer with scars before. Why hadn't she gotten rid of them?

"Hello Harry," Trinity smiled at him, "I'd like you to meet Healer Fairness Jackson. Fair, this is my brother Harry Potter."

"It's a pleasure to meet you Harry," her voice was soft and a bit husky.

"Nice to meet you Healer Jackson," Harry returned. It threw him a bit when she didn't react to his name. He figured a healer would know who he was. Was she not a witch? How was she going to heal him without magic?

"Feel free to call me Fair kid." She stood up and Harry got to see how tall she really was. The woman was at least six feet tall, probably taller. Suddenly Harry felt very small. Which was strange considering he didn't feel that way when he was with Paul who was much taller than the healer.

"So how are we going to do this?" Harry asked with a grimace he couldn't quite conceal.

"First I need to examine you and get a look at the entire injury. From what Trinity says that will require you to remove all of your clothing. You may cover what you feel needs to be covered as long as there is nothing between me and the injury," she explained bluntly, "After I've examined you I'll decide the course of treatment."

At the thought of this stranger, this woman, seeing him without clothing he flushed crimson. It took everything he had not to call this off. He had to remind himself that he promised Trinity he'd see the healer about ten times. "Fine," he forced out, "Give me a few minutes and come to my room."

He turned and made his way into the house as fast as he could. He could have sworn he heard Fair snicker at his obvious embarrassment. What did she expect? Other than the healers at St. Mungo's no one had seen him naked since infancy. He had every right to feel some embarrassment. And now he had all of these unsightly scars to boot. He couldn't stand to look at them. Why should anyone else have to be made to look at them?

Once in his room Harry removed his clothes, folding them neatly and laying them on top of the trunk he'd bought from Paul. He pulled the quilt down so he could get at the sheet. He stretched out on his right side before using a sticking charm to hold the sheet in place on his bum. Then he placed a pillow in front of him to cover his bits. No way was he going to risk using a sticking charm there. He exhaled slowly before settling in to wait.

Fair didn't keep him waiting long. No more than a minute but it felt like an eternity. She walked into the room with nearly silent steps. If he hadn't been so tense waiting for her he probably wouldn't have heard her. He was as tight as a drum by the time she came to a stop by the bed in front of him.

She offered him a gentle smile, "I'm not going to torture you Harry. It's nothing more than a simple exam."

"Don't particularly like healers," he groused before meeting her eyes, "No offense."

"None taken," she told him, "I'm not all that fond of them either."

"But you are a healer."

"My power makes me a healer but it is not my chosen profession. I'm a warrior that can heal not a healer that can fight."

"Your power? Aren't you a witch?"

Fair shook her head. "I am an immortal ice healer. It's a weird little genetic quirk that makes me blonde and blue eyed. My mother is olive skinned with black hair and eyes and my father was a pureblood Cherokee. By all rights my coloring should be much darker."

If she was talking to get him to relax, it was working. He wasn't nearly as tense as he'd been when she came in. "Immortal?"

"Yup," she grinned at him, "I just had my three hundredth birthday not too long ago. And here you were thinking that Trin had called in some wet-behind-the-ears doctor to have a look at you. Are you ready for me to start?"

Harry swallowed, "Is it going to hurt?"

"It might be a little chilly but it won't hurt," she reassured him, "I promise."

Taking a deep breath, Harry nodded, "Let's get this over with."

Fair nodded before a look of concentration settled over her face. Having never even heard of an ice healer, Harry watched her closely. He was taken aback when all of the color drained out of her eyes. When she raised her hands he blinked. They were glowing with the same shade of turquoise her eyes had been only moments before. Well, he hadn't been expecting that.

Very carefully she leaned closer and started tracing the scars on his face with the tips of her fingers. Harry shivered at the cold touch. Her hands were colder than even the vampires'. He closed his eyes as she traced every dip and ridge on his face before moving down his neck. The cold only lingered for moments after she moved on. She traced every inch of the scars on his left side. Oddly, when she needed his arm out of the way she used the back of her hand to nudge it out of the path of her questing fingers. Harry held very still when she traced over the few few places where the scars spread onto his chest. When she reached to worst of it on his hip and thigh he could feel the cold seep deeper, examining the injury below the surface.

By the time she was finished forty-five minutes had passed. As she straightened her hands stopped glowing and the color returned to her eyes. There was a slight frown on her lips while she was thinking about what she'd learned. "You may dress now. When you're done come back outside. We'll discuss what needs to be done with Trin." Then she simply walked out of the room, still thinking about her plan.

Harry dressed slowly. Hope was worming its way in again. He desperately didn't want to feel it. But Fair had seemed so confident. She had a plan and from her tone she was certain it was going to work. What could she possibly have in mind that could fix him? He supposed her could understand her confidence. She'd been a healer for three hundred years after all. That's a long time to get good at what she did. But Harry had so many doubts and hoping for anything had never done him any good.

Harry joined the women outside. He sat in the deck chair next to Trinity and placed his cane across his lap. Fair had taken one across from them so that she could see them both. Trinity reached over and took his hand before looking at Fair.

"So what's the verdict?" she asked, giving his hand a reassuring squeeze.

"I believe that I can help him but the magic complicates things a bit," Fair answered, leaning back in her chair and crossing her legs.

Harry frowned, "Complicates things how?"

"When the healers in Britain tried to heal you they didn't try to cleanse the dark magic from the wounds first. The magic in Britain is so stagnant that even if they had tried they probably wouldn't have been successful. They simply covered the dark magic up with layer upon layer of rotting light magic, both of which are acting like an infection. An infected wound can not heal properly. The stagnation of British magic is why they have such a hard time healing injuries caused by dark curses in the first place."

"So what can be done?" Trinity asked.

"Harry is going to have to use the thriving magic here to cleanse his core. And you are going to have to work on cleansing the tainted magic from the wound. This has to be done before I can actually heal the wound," Fair explained, "This means that he can't use his wand at all. You're going to have to teach him how to draw in magic from the world around him and funnel that into his core to force the old magic out. You will have to force living magic into the scar tissue but it can't be done all at once."

Harry's grip tightened on Trinity's hand, "Why not?"

"It's like a burn wound. You can not clean a burn all at once because the pain is too much to bear. And cleansing the tainted magic from the wound will be painful. It must be done in stages," Fair uncrossed her legs and picked up a black satchel from beside her chair, "Any potions you have you can't take. They are made with the same tainted magic as everything else over there."

"If the pain is going to be so great Harry is going to need something to take for it," Trinity said with a concerned frown.

Fair opened the satchel and began pulling out some glass containers. There were two narrow blue jars, one narrow green jar, one slightly wider yellow jar, and seven wide red jars. She sat each on the table between them in a neat row. "Mix one teaspoon of the blue in water before you start on the wound each day. If the pain is too much to bear after the cleansing then you may take half a teaspoon of the green in water but no more than that of either of them each day. The yellow is for if you have trouble sleeping, one teaspoon in hot tea before bed and no more."

"And what are the red ones for?" Harry questioned.

"My power works best of fresh injuries. Once the body has healed it treats scars like they are supposed to be there. The magic that infects your wound has kept it from healing so I can heal that with no problem. The surface scars are another story," Fair told him gently, "The red is a salve that will force the scar tissue to start repairing itself again. You must use an entire jar on the scars each day and you must cover every inch. Even with this it will be impossible to remove the scars entirely. But it will greatly diminish them."

Harry's heart broke a little at this. He hated his scars. He couldn't even look at himself anymore. And from Ginny's reaction, no one else could either. "What's the point then?" he asked roughly.

"When I was a child my face was nearly ripped off. My face looked worse than yours does now. After using this salve and being healed the scars are nearly gone. We tried twice more to rid me of the rest but this is as good as it will ever get. I don't think they're that bad now. Do you?"

Harry looked over her scars again. She was right. They weren't hard to look at. If her face had been more damaged than his maybe at least this would get rid of the scars on his face, if no where else. "Ok," he said after a minute, "When will you be back?"

"It will take me a week to round up my sisters. The four of us will come back then to heal you. Most of the tainted magic should be out of your system by then," Fair told him.

"Wait, what? Four? Trinity, I told you just one healer," he turned accusing eyes on his sister.

Fair laughed, "Yes, and your sister is very clever. She knew that this was going to take more than one healer. That is why she called me. Even without the infection your injury is one of the worst I've seen. You agreed to see one healer and to follow whatever plan said healer had. My treatment plan requires my sisters."

Harry opened and closed his mouth a few times before glaring at his sister. "And why do I need four healers?" he ground out, trying not to shout at Trinity.

"My sisters and I are identical quadruplets, four parts of a whole. When we were children we were considerably weaker than others of our kind because our power had been split four ways. Over time we have strengthened our power until we are each as strong as any healer. But since we are four parts of a whole we can combine our power in a way others of our kind can't. It will take that kind of power to get rid of the remains of the offending magic, heal as much of the scarring as possible and completely heal the internal damage. The kind of magic that you wield isn't exactly compatible with our power so it will take the four of us to do this right."

Harry sighed heavily. Why in the name of Merlin didn't he pay attention when he made deals with people? It invariably came back to bite him in the ass every single time. "Fine, whatever," he grumbled which made Trinity smile.

Fair got up, put on her jacket , and slung her satchel over her shoulder. "I shall see you in a week." And with that she was gone.

"I should smack you," Harry said staring at where the healer had been standing.

Trinity giggled softly. "I love you and want the best for you," she squeezed his had again, "Forgive me?"

Harry sighed and returned the squeeze, "Of course."

HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP

The day passed slowly. He and Trinity settled in the living room with books and simply enjoyed the quiet. They were going to get started with the cleansing tomorrow. He wasn't sure about letting her help him apply the salve. Did he really want his sister to see him naked every day? No. There was no way for him to be comfortable with that. So what was he going to do?

He was not letting any of the women in his life see him naked. The most sensible choice would be Carlisle seeing as he was a doctor. But he was also a vampire and Trinity wouldn't feel comfortable leaving him in the care of a vampire. This also cut out the rest of the Cullens. Honestly he didn't know them well enough anyway. So the question became, was he comfortable enough with Paul to let him see and touch his scars?

Trinity nudged him on the thigh with her toes. He startled, nearly dropping his book, and looked at her with wide eyes, "What?"

"You've been staring at the same page for the last ten minutes," her expression was faintly concerned, "What's troubling you?"

"The salve and who's going to help me with it," he answered honestly.

"I assumed that you were going to ask Paul for help."

He liked that she knew him well enough to know that he would be uncomfortable with her help and that she wasn't offended by it. "He hasn't seen the extent of the scarring. What is he going to think?"

"Do you think he's going to find them revolting?"

Harry shrugged, "Maybe, maybe not. I'm more worried that he's going to pity me and start treating me differently. He's strong and healthy, practically perfect. All of his other friends are. How is he going to handle the visible proof that I'm not?"

"He already knows that you're not physically perfect. Paul may not know exactly what happened to you but he knows it was bad. He strikes me as someone with a good head on his shoulders. The question is, do you trust him?"

"The last person I trusted turned away from me in disgust." He looked back down at the book in his hands.

Trinity sighed and shifted closer to him. She reached over and lifted his chin so she could meet his eyes. "Ginny Weasley is a spoiled little girl who was dazzled by the-boy-who-lived. One who is ill equipped to handle the harsh realities of war. She is not someone to use as a measuring stick for the rest of the world. Nothing that girl said to you is worth dwelling on. As young as he is, Paul is a strong man. One I believe is capable of handling anything."

He searched her eyes for any sign that she was lying to him. "Do you think I can trust him?" he asked softly.

"I think you can trust him. He cares for you a great deal," Trinity brushed a kiss across his forehead, "But you need to be able to trust your own judgment, not mine."

With that Trinity released him and moved back to her place on the couch. Harry smiled while he resisted the urge to touch the place she'd kissed. No one had ever done that to him before. Not that he could remember anyway. He was sure that his parents had when they were alive but they were the last people to really care for him like he was family.

And her advice was sound. He was fairly certain she was the only person to ever tell him to trust his own judgment. Most thought he was too much a Gryffindor to have sound judgment. Most everyone in his life had pushed their opinions on him and expected him to agree with them. Trinity had offered her opinion and then told him to make up his own mind.

"I'll call Paul in a bit," he said after a moment.

Trinity smiled brightly but before she could respond Kreacher shuffled into the room. "There is a owl for Master Harry," the elf grumbled.

An owl? For just a second Harry was confused before it came to him. "It must be from Madam Pomfrey. Please let it in. Thank you," he told the elf.

Kreacher nodded before shuffling away. Trinity looked up from her book when the massive owl flew into the room. The owl was varying shades of gray, from white to nearly black in some places. It had big yellow eyes and a wing span of nearly five feet. It was larger than Hedwig had been. When it landed gracefully on Harry's shoulder he realized that while the bird may have more length than his old owl, it weighed a little bit less than she had. The bird patiently extended its leg and waited for Harry to remove the letter.

Once Harry had the letter in hand he told the bird, "Kreacher will get you something to eat and drink in the kitchen if you like." While the bird flew off to the kitchen Harry unrolled the letter it had brought.

 _Dear Harry,_

 _I was very happy to hear from you. I am glad that you are settling in and doing well wherever you are. I hope that you and Miss Nagero are getting along. She always seemed to be such a nice girl. I don't believe I ever saw her in my hospital wing the entire time she was at school. Maybe she will be a good influence on you and keep you healthy._

 _I was surprised to hear that she was your sister. How so many students managed to hide their pregnancies is beyond me. I am a bit appalled to be honest. Minerva and I are both looking into ways to keep this from happening in the future. In all my years I've never heard of such a thing happening in all my years. It must have been quite a shuck for you. However it came about I am happy that you have a family all your own now. There is no one who deserves a happy family more than you._

 _Severus was surprised to receive your letter. I do not believe that I have ever seen him a such a loss for words before. He decided not to write to you, of course. You know how he is. But he did insist on going out and finding the best owl possible to send this letter. The great gray owl that brought this letter is now yours. He is a strong, intelligent and beautiful bird awaiting a name. Do not try to compensate Severus for him. You'll only insult the man._

 _Minerva sends her regards. She is just as happy for you as I am. She also approves of Miss Nagero, if that matters. She says that you could have no greater ally than Karant. Whatever her faults, Kalia is a good woman too. Minerva would like to hear from you if you'd like to write to her as well. She has been concerned for you and excepting the bits of information that Severus and I have felt comfortable giving her. But she says that the decision to write her is entirely yours._

 _Hogwarts has recovered nicely from the battle. The castle is ready for students. I'm looking forward to the children returning. The castle has been so quiet of late. The professors are settling in and preparing for classes. Some of your year mates will be returning to finish their schooling, those that couldn't pass their NEWTS studying on their own. It will be wonderful to see them all again. Though I must say, it won't be the same without you gracing my hospital._

 _The wizarding world is getting back on its feet. Mr. Shacklebolt is officially the Minister now. Great strides are being made towards equality. You should be pleased that the war has finally knocked some sense into the population. I hope that things continue in this vein in the future._

 _You asked me about your friends. Mr. Longbottom has been quite diligent about asking after you. He has just left Minerva's office as a matter of fact. He comes round at least once a week asking after you. Miss Lovegood has also inquired about you on a number of occasions, though not as many as Mr. Longbottom. She has been busy dealing with her father. He hasn't been the same since the war. She has made it clear that she is as worried about you as Mr. Longbottom is. Even young Mr. Malfoy has asked Severus about you every other month or so. Mrs. Tonks has also expressed her worry about you. She hopes that one day you will be well enough to get to know little Teddy._

 _It pains me to say that I or Minerva have not heard from Miss Granger or the Weasleys in a number of months. I don't know why they haven't shown more concern over you and I find myself greatly disappointed in them. I am sorry that I have to tell you this because I know that it will hurt you. I hope that Miss Nagero can offer you some comfort._

 _Please be well Harry. I hope to hear from you again. If not, I am glad that I heard from you at least once._

 _Madam Poppy Pomfrey_

Harry allowed the letter to fall on his book and found himself fighting tears. Trinity looked at him with worried eyes. "Are you alright?" she asked softly.

"Britain is getting back on its feet. School will be starting soon," his voice shook slightly, "and my best friends can't be bothered with me."

Trinity closed her book and slid over to wrap her arm around his shoulders. "May I read it?" she asked. Harry offered the letter without a word. She read it quickly before tossing it on the table. She sighed, "Maybe they have a good reason."

"Neville is the head of his family and that comes with a lot of time consuming responsibility. Luna's been saddled with a crippled and nearly insane father. Draco and I have been enemies practically from the moment we met," Harry's voice shook a little more with each word, "Ron and Hermione have been my best friends for years. The Weasleys have been my only family from the time we met. I know I shut myself away and refused to see anyone but..." His breath hitched.

Trinity pushed his head into her neck and rested her chin on his head. "My friends would have never allowed me to close myself off in the first place. They're pushy like that, no respect for boundaries," her voice was gentle, "I don't understand fair weather friends."

"They're not fair weather friends. They've always been there for me. It's my fault."

"It is not your fault that they've stopped worrying about you. They made that decision because of a fault in themselves. If your enemy can be concerned with you after all this time, then your best friends should be. People who call themselves your family should be. From what I recall, you weren't that close to Neville and I don't remember Luna being part of your circle of friends at all before I left Hogwarts. They are true friends."

Harry reached up and dashed a tear from his scarred cheek, "What do they think I've been doing? Living it up and acting like they don't matter?"

"I don't know love," Trinity held him tighter, "If they think that then they are most certainly imbeciles and not worth your time."

Harry didn't know if he agreed with her or not. He lost his hold on his emotions and tears streamed heavily down his face. Trinity held him while he cried all the while making soothing sounds. Harry cried without making a sound. He was well versed in that. He wasn't sure how long his sister held him but she didn't offer a single protest about the growing wet patch on her shirt.

Once he finished she let him go so he could sit up. While he wiped his face she offered him a small smile. Then she asked, "So do you want to name the owl after Professor Snape? Do you think it would offend the man or the bird more?"

Harry looked at her incredulously and snorted, "Definitely the bird."


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: I'm so sorry that this took so long to get out. Between the holidays, trying to throw my sister's wedding in less than two months, and my brother losing everything in a house fire, I had no time to sit down and write. Even as long as this took to write it still feels rushed and, I don't know, off to me. I hope that everyone enjoys it anyway. Thank you for all your reviews and for following this story. I hope it doesn't take me as llong to finish the next chapter.**

* * *

 _ **Chapter Fourteen**_

After taking Harry home early Paul decided to go and see Jacob. He hadn't heard anything from Sam and he was starting to think that the alpha was going to kick him out of the pack. Why else would the man be silent for this long? How could finding his imprint, something sacred among the wolves, cost him his pack? The people he'd thought were his friends.

He couldn't change things. He wouldn't even if he could. If Sam was so narrow minded that he wouldn't accept his imprint there was nothing that Paul could do about it. Honestly, Paul wasn't sure if he would stay in the pack at this point anyway. Sam's decision was taking too long for any positive answer to be his true feelings. Paul couldn't stand the thought of hearing every vile thought Sam had about him every time he shifted. And Sam had no doubt poisoned the others against him by now.

Could he join Jacob's pack knowing that it would mean making nice with the leeches? Jacob had imprinted on one of them. If he wanted his imprint to be accepted then he couldn't very well reject the little vampire. He supposed he could get around to looking at her like a human with an unfortunate blood condition. That thought made him smile. It made her sound like she had hemophilia or something similar. She was just a kid, no matter how fast she was growing. Truth be told he was just as capable of hurting a human as she was. Plus the gods, or whoever, had decided that she would be good for the tribe. Who was he to argue with that?

Paul pulled into Jacob's yard and cut the engine. He listened closely and wasn't surprised to hear the young alpha tinkering in the garage. Unless he was spending time with Nessie, Jacob was happiest covered in grease. Paul made his way to the building without bothering to call out. He knew that the other wolf already knew who was coming to call.

There was classic rock coming from an old radio and some banging coming from the old truck in the center of the room. Paul looked down and saw Jacob's legs sticking out from under the truck. The other boy was muttering to himself about something Paul didn't understand. Paul had never bothered to learn much about what went on under the hood of his truck. He could check the various fluids and that was about it. He was much more comfortable with wood than he was with metal.

"Hey Paul," Jacob's voice drifted up through the engine, "What's up?"

Paul shrugged even though he knew Jacob couldn't see it, "Nothing much. My plans for the day fell through. Thought I'd come by."

He heard metal slide against metal followed by a sharp curse. Then Jacob rolled himself out from under the truck to better see his bleeding knuckles. "Haven't seen you around all week," Jacob sat up on the creeper and dropped his wrench beside it.

"I've been spending time with Harry or working," Paul leaned against the wall, "Been waiting to hear from Sam. At this point I'm pretty sure that anything I'll hear from him isn't going to be positive."

Jacob went to wash the grease off his hands once he was sure the cut was starting to heal. "According to my dad the elders are on your side. The imprint is undeniable and can't be changed."

"So it's just Sam then," even though Paul had been almost certain that this was where this was going to go he couldn't help but feel hurt. He rubbed his chest over his heart, trying to ease the biting pain.

Jacob heaved a sigh and turned to face him. "Seems to be. I don't understand what his problem is. Imprinting can't be questioned, challenged, or changed. He knows that as well as I do and he knows it better than the elders."

Paul snorted. "I think it's more to do with personal prejudices than believing the imprinting is a mistake. Which is..." he trailed off.

"A load of crap," Jacob actually sounded angry for Paul, "What are you going to do?"

Paul sighed before moving the radio and sitting on the metal folding chair it had been on. Seeing as it was the only chair, Jacob pulled a big tool box around and sat in front of him. "Even if Sam lets me back in I don't think I can. Every time I shifted my mind would filled with every hateful thought in Sam's head."

"The offer to join my pack still stands," Jacob told him, "Seth is thrilled and has been waiting to tell you so. Leah is pissed but I think it's got more to do with the fact that you found your imprint before she found hers. That's all I hear from her when we shift. Quil and Embry don't care one way or the other. And you know I support you."

Paul smirked. It would figure that Leah would be angry because he was first. She was a competitive sort of girl. "How do I switch packs?" he asked after a long silence.

"All you have to do is decide to follow another alpha. Our choices and decisions are what make us who we are. You could decide to go it alone but our wolves need a pack so it will be hard," Jacob told him, "I've never felt so lost as when I broke away from Sam to claim my place with no pack behind me. As much as I tried to talk Seth out of it, I was relieved when he decided to follow me."

Paul looked down at his hands. Was he ready to do this? He would do anything for Harry, to be able to keep Harry. And peace of mind was important. His temper wouldn't be controllable if he had to listen to hate every single time he shifted, the one thing that had brought him peace before Harry. Leah may be annoying but at this point she was better than Sam.

With a shaky breath he made his decision. He didn't even need to talk to Sam. He wanted to be a part of Jacob's pack. He wanted Jacob to be his alpha. Paul's breathing was steadier once he reached that decision. He felt the shift in his mind as his wolf changed allegiances. The ties that had bound him to Sam broke and faded away as if they had never been there in the first place. The new ties that formed between him and Jacob seemed stronger than what had been between him and Sam. It took only moments for his wolf to settle into its new pack.

Jacob grinned, showing that he'd felt it too and he accepted the change happily. "Welcome to my pack," he clapped Paul on the shoulder exuberantly.

Paul laughed softly, "Thanks for having me."

His alpha got up and went to grab a couple of sodas out of the cooler. He handed on to Paul before sitting back down. "I heard something interesting about Harry and his sister from Nessie," he said.

Paul arched a brow, "Really?"

"They know that the Cullens are vampires, knew even before they met them. And they aren't afraid of them. Nessie was very impressed."

"What? How?" Paul was dumbfounded. He quickly held up a hand to stop Jacob from answering, "Don't answer that."

"Why not?"

"It sounds like it might be something that Harry should tell me himself. Something he should want to trust me with. Is it?"

"I think so. It's big," Jacob smiled, "You should tell him about being a shifter, explain about the pack. I'm sure he'll handle it well."

"His secret is as big as that?"

"Definitely. And I'm thinking you should tell Trinity too."

Paul frowned in confusion, "Why?"

"She's not afraid of vampires but she doesn't want them around Harry without supervision. She's very protective of him. There's a chance she'll be just as hesitant about us and she won't like being kept in the dark. You need her to be able to trust you if you don't want her to take the same stance with us that she does with the Cullens."

"She would keep Harry from me?"

"I don't know. According to Bella, she wants Harry to be cautious but she doesn't want to take away his freedom either. He listens to her and, considering he hasn't spoken to any of the Cullens since meeting them, follows her advice."

"But Trinity likes me. She knows that I like Harry and she basically told me that she approves."

"She also doesn't know that you can turn into a giant wolf at will or when you get too angry."

"Angry or not I would never hurt Harry!"

"Like Sam would never hurt Emily?"

That brought Paul up short. Emily was Sam's everything and he'd still lost control and hurt her. He'd been new to shifting at the time but he didn't have the history with temper problems that Paul did. Could he really hurt Harry without meaning too? Would that be all Trinity saw? Would that be what Harry would see?

"My advice is to be honest. They can handle it and if Harry gets better he'll be more than capable of protecting himself."

"He's seeing a doctor today. That's why our plans fell through. I hope that this doctor can help him."

Jacob was quiet while he finished his drink. "Want to go for a run now that you don't have to worry about hearing what Sam and the others are thinking?"

It seemed like the heavy portion of the day was over. Jacob had given him a lot to think about. Now he needed to sort it out for himself. He was glad for the space and happy Jacob wasn't forcing the issue with an order. He finished his own drink, "Sounds good. I've missed running."

 **HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP**

After spending most of the day running with Jacob and his other new pack mates Paul was happily exhausted. His muscles ached pleasantly from the much missed exercise. Once he made it home he threw together a plate full of sandwiches and settled on the couch to watch a movie. His dad was at the community center with some friends tonight so he was on his own.

Thoughts of what Harry could be hiding had plagued him all day. It couldn't be anything bad because Jacob wasn't worried about it. Paul was more curious than he'd like to admit. He and Harry had only known each other for a short time, no matter how strongly Paul felt about him. And while they had discussed a great many things, Paul knew they hadn't really touched on anything heavy. It would take a bit longer to earn Harry's trust.

He supposed that telling him about being a shifter and about the pack would go a long way towards that goal. But was Paul ready to divulge his own secret? Jacob was sure that it would be fine but what if he was wrong? What if Harry was afraid of him? What if he just hated werewolves? What if Trinity forbade him from ever seeing Harry again?

What if Paul was just too much of a coward to actually say anything? He was going to drown in the what if's if he kept this up. They didn't do any good. All he had managed to do so far is worry himself more. He'd nearly lost his appetite. He was pretty sure that had never happened before, even before the wolf had caused his metabolism to skyrocket.

The movie caught his attention once more and he quickly finished his dinner. The action movie was reaching its climax when the phone rang. Paul hurriedly paused the movie, grumbling about untimely interruptions, before answering the phone. "Hello?" he just managed to keep the sharpness out of his tone.

" _Did I call at a bad time?"_ Harry's smirking voice rang through the line.

All aggravation and interest in the movie forgotten, Paul smiled and turned off the TV. "Of course not. I was just watching a movie."

" _I'm sorry. I can call back later if you'd like."_

"No, no," Paul spoke quickly, "I've seen it a dozen times. How did the visit with the doctor go?"

" _It went ok I guess. She put me on a new treatment plan to get me ready for," Harry seemed to hesitate, "um... surgery next week."_

Paul's heart jumped in his throat with a mixture of worry and hope. He honestly couldn't sort out which one was stronger. "Surgery? What kind of surgery?"

" _She's going to work on my hip and my scars."_

"She can help you?" Paul wondered why Harry didn't sound more excited by this, "That's great."

" _She thinks she can with my leg at least. She's going to try with the scars but she's not making any promises."_

"But this new doc hasn't said it's impossible. That's more than you've had in a while. Why aren't you more excited?"

" _I'm trying not to get my hopes up. It's a lot of ifs and maybes."_

Paul hated how defeated Harry sounded. "Well, it's better than all the nos and not possibles that all the other docs have given you."

Harry sighed, _"I know but it's not easy to adjust my thinking. I've been told that this is as good as it gets for a long time now."_

Paul didn't know how to respond to that so he asked, "So, what kind of treatments does she have you on?"

" _Some physical therapy, some heavy duty pain meds, and some kind of ointment for my scars,"_ Harry took a deep breath, _"Which actually brings me to the reason I called."_

"Oh?" Paul was curious.

" _Yeah,"_ Harry cleared his throat, _"I have to put the ointment on all of my scars and I can't get to them all by myself."_

"How bad are they?" Paul frowned. He'd never seen any scars other than the ones on the boy's face and neck.

" _I have scars from my face to my knee on my left side. They spread onto to my chest and my back in some places too. I can't ask Trinity to help me because I am not taking my clothes off in front of my sister. Do you think you could help me? Or would you be too uncomfortable?"_

Paul blinked in surprise. Of all the things he had expected Harry to ask him that was not even on the list. Harry was shy, always covered up, and now Paul knew why. He wasn't the type to talk about his problems or ask for help. And this certainly wasn't the way he'd wanted to see his soul mate out of his clothes.

Right now he was Harry's friend. That was all Harry saw him as right now. He hoped that his wolf understood that because having a physical reaction while doing this would be the worst thing that could possibly happen. He couldn't imagine what Harry's reaction to that would be but he doubted it would be good.

" _Paul?"_ Harry called softly.

He shook himself out of his thoughts, realizing that he'd been quiet for too long. "Of course I'll help. When do you need me to come over?"

" _The same time you usually come to pick me up would be fine. We should be finished well before Trinity gets up. Once she's up and moving she'll be helping me with the therapy part. I won't be leaving the house much until after I see the doctor again."_

Paul nodded in understanding, "I suppose I'll see you in the morning then."

" _Thanks for helping and I'll see you tomorrow. Good night."_

"Good night Harry."

Paul hung up the phone and sighed softly. Tomorrow was going to be both physically and emotionally trying. He had never been more sure of anything in his life. He'd best get some sleep.

 **HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP**

Harry fidgeted with the hem of his shirt while waiting for Paul to arrive. How he wished this wasn't necessary. If he was allowed to use magic it wouldn't be. He couldn't even use a sticking charm to make sure things stayed covered. Once Kreacher had heard Healer Jackson's orders the devil elf had confiscated his wand. Trinity had grinned and encouraged the behavior when he'd complained to her about it. He was going to have to hope the pillows stayed where he put them.

He heard Paul's truck coming up the drive. Taking a deep breath and exhaling slowly Harry started making his way to the door. He knew that Paul would beet him to the door even with him starting before the other even stopped his truck. If things worked out the way his sister hoped then that would soon come to an end.

Paul knocked just before Harry reached the door. Harry sighed softly in frustration. He wished fervently to be able to do magic. Being able to speed himself up would be so helpful in these situations. He shoved his aggravation aside and smiled when he opened the door.

Paul was smiling brightly at him. It always looked like a new expression on his face, like he wasn't used to smiling. "Good morning Harry," he greeted him happily. The other boy was always really happy to see him too. Don't misunderstand, Harry was happy to see Paul as well, it just seemed that Paul was exceptionally happy most days.

"Morning," Harry stepped back from the door, "Come on in."

Paul stepped through and paused, waiting for Harry to close the door. "How are you doing?" he asked.

"I'm a bit nervous to be honest," Harry turned to lead the way to his room.

The tall Quileute fell in step with him easily, having grown used to adjusting his stride to fit Harry's. "Why?" he asked.

"I haven't let anyone other than doctors see my scars and I didn't even want them to see," Harry explained quietly.

Paul placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Are you sure you want my help with this? I won't be upset if you've changed your mind."

Harry shook his head and offered a wry smile, "As much as I don't want to do it, it has to be done. I've accepted that. Doesn't mean that I'm not uncomfortable and nervous."

"Well, I'll try to be as quick as possible," Paul gave his shoulder a comforting squeeze before dropping his hand from his shoulder.

Harry nodded and kept moving. He really hoped that Paul didn't have the same reaction that Ginny did. He didn't think he could bear it if his first friend here turned away from him in disgust. When they reached his room Harry took a fortifying breath and cleared his throat, "Can you wait out here until I get settled?"

"Sure. Just call out when your ready," Paul offered with a kind smile.

Harry nodded and went into his room. He looked at the nightstand to be sure the ointment was where he'd left it before he started to remove his clothes. His movements were slow, delaying the inevitable. But he could only drag it out for so long. Harry settled on his side and carefully put the pillows into place. He eased his head down as slowly as he could so as not to dislodge the pillow covering his arse. Then he put his hand on the important one covering his bits.

Once he was sure everything was as good as it was going to get he called, "I'm ready."

Paul slowly pushed the door open and came in, closing it behind him. Harry didn't even twitch as he listened to him cross the room. When Paul caught his breath at the sight of the scarring Harry closed his eyes tight and held his own breath, waiting for his reaction. _'Please don't be bad, please don't be bad'_ Harry chanted in his head.

"This must have hurt something terrible," Paul said roughly after being silent for what felt like eternity, "It looks like you were lucky to survive."

Harry opened his eyes as relief coursed through him, "So they told me. The jar with the ointment is on the table there."

Paul opened the jar, "I'll start with your leg and work my way up. That way I can pull up the blanket and get you covered up so you'll be more comfortable. Sound good?"

"That sounds brilliant."

Paul huffed out a laugh and started to rub the ointment in his leg. Harry tensed at the first touch, expecting the ointment to sting or Paul to use too much pressure. But Paul was gentle and the ointment was cool, soothing on his skin. Paul made sure to get every inch of the scar tissue.

As he moved higher he occasionally brushed the undamaged skin. It felt nice. Harry was surprised at how sensitive the skin around the scar was. It felt nice, pleasurable even, which caught Harry off guard. It had to be because the skin was so tender around the scar and he hadn't let anyone touch it in a year.

"It's really deep on your hip," Paul commented as he worked the ointment into his skin.

"It was nearly down to the bone," Harry told him, "I was lucky they were able to save it at all."

"I'm glad they were able to do that, even if they couldn't give you full mobility."

Harry made a noise of agreement but didn't comment further. Paul continued to work in silence. When he bumped the pillow covering his arse Harry held his breath waiting for the pillow to fall. He relaxed when it didn't. He really didn't want to show off his personal bits, even to another guy. He'd never felt comfortable undressed in front of people, even before his injury.

Once Paul reached his waist he stopped to pull the blanket in place, over the pillows, so Harry wouldn't be exposed. Once that particular danger was past Harry released the rest of tension he'd been holding on to.

He looked over his shoulder now that it was safe to move and smiled at his friend, "Thanks mate."

Paul's movements seemed to stutter (but the pause was so small Harry was sure he was imagining things) and he smiled at him, "You're welcome."

They fell into silence again as Paul continued. Harry let his eyes drift closed as the scarring was followed over his back. Paul was still quick and efficient but Harry found himself wishing he would slow down just a bit now that the threat of exposing himself was over with. His overly warm skin combined with the cool ointment was nice, relaxing even. He hadn't realized how much he'd missed human touch since the end of the war.

When Paul's fingers moved onto his chest and ghosted over the undamaged skin there, Harry sucked in a quiet breath in surprise. The pleasurable sensation from that was more intense than any he'd experienced so far. The skin there must be even more sensitive than the rest. He wondered briefly why the healer hadn't told him such a thing was possible.

Paul heard him catch his breath and halted his ministrations. "Everything alright?" he asked, "Did I hurt you?"

Harry shook his head, "Everything's fine. Some places are just more tender than others is all. Keep going."

"Ok."

When Paul continued he was gentler than before, which Harry hadn't thought possible. Time seemed to slow as the other boy worked his way up his neck, being careful not to drift off the scar tissue here. Harry let him continue on with his face, even though he was more than capable of doing this bit himself. No sense in stopping everything when they were so close to being done.

"I have a little left in the jar. Do you want me to use it on the lightning scar too? It doesn't look like it's part of the rest of it."

Harry's eyes widened. He hadn't even thought of his scar from Voldemort. Did he want it to be gone? It was his most identifying feature, followed closely by his eyes. It was the scar that had controlled his fate and practically ruined his life. It had been a part of him as long as he could remember. Did he really want to live without it? Yes. If there was a even the slightest chance that it could be gotten rid of, then it was definitely something he wanted to do.

"Go ahead. Might as well treat all of them. Maybe she'll be able to get rid of that one too."

He rolled his head so Paul could get to it better and closed his eyes. It felt like he was moving forward, leaving the past behind, even if it was just a tiny step. Barely a step really but it still felt monumental. He had been identified by his scar for so long he wondered briefly if the wizarding world would even recognize him without it. Probably, but one could hope.

"There, all done," Paul stepped back and screwed the lid on the now empty jar, "I'll leave you to get dressed."

"I'll meet you in the living room."

Paul nodded and quickly left the room. Harry stood and started to get dressed. He wondered what time it was and how long they had until Trinity was awake. Maybe they could hang out for a bit until she did wake up. He was going to miss spending the better part of his day with Paul. And after the healing he wouldn't be able to see Paul at all for at least a couple of weeks because there was nothing in the muggle world that could do what the healer was going to do from one day to the next.

 **HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP**

While Paul settled himself on the couch he found himself fighting the urge to cry. Even though Harry had told him the scarring was bad he hadn't expected it to be as bad as it actually was. Honestly he'd thought that he'd been exaggerating. Now he believed that Harry had been understating the severity of the accident.

How had Harry even survived? Paul couldn't believe how close he'd come to losing his imprint before he'd ever had a chance to meet him. It frightened him more than anything ever had before. Not even battling a whole army of newborn vampires had caused him the slightest shudder. The thought of losing Harry was terrifying.

He heard Harry's door open and turned to smile at him as he crossed the room. "How're you feeling?" he asked.

"Relaxed, oddly enough," Harry told him, "It wasn't as uncomfortable as I'd thought it would be. And all that tension I was holding onto has just melted away."

"That's good."

Harry nodded as he finally made it to the couch. He eased down on the other end and angled himself so he could look at Paul. "Are you going to be ok doing this for the next six days?" Harry asked once he was comfortable.

Paul blinked in surprise. "Six more days?" he asked.

Harry nodded, "Every day until the healer comes back."

"Oh," he nodded to show he understood, "Of course I'm ok helping you."

Harry grinned before reaching for the remote, "TV?"

He turned the set on before Paul had a chance to answer. Paul didn't care about the TV really. He was content to watch Harry. The other man's strength astounded him. Made him want to love him even more. He was content with being Harry's friend right now but it would be remarkably easy to fall in love with him. When Harry had called him mate earlier for just a moment he'd thought that Harry's feelings were changing but his rational side kicked in rather quickly. He'd seen enough shows on BBC to know that was how friends addressed each other over there.

"I'm a werewolf," came out of Paul's mouth without the thought even crossing his mind. His eyes widened and he slapped a hand over his mouth. Oh my God! Where had that even come from!?

Harry turned away from the TV and looked at him. He arched an eyebrow, "A werewolf?"

Paul closed his eyes and bit his lip, "Um... yeah." He clasped his hands together in his lap. This was so bad. How could he just come out and say that? Where the hell was his brain? What kind of malfunction was he having?

He couldn't have been more surprised when Harry covered his clenched hands with one of his own and gave him a reassuring squeeze. "It's alright," Harry said softly, "Is there a full moon this week or something?"

Paul jerked his head up so fast that he nearly gave himself whiplash. "It's alright? And what about the moon?"

Harry shrugged, "Well, yeah, it's fine. Why wouldn't it be? As for the moon, if you're forced to change won't you be ill for a day or so?"

"No, the moon isn't a problem," Paul frowned deeply as he searched Harry's face, "What do you mean 'why wouldn't it be'? Most people would have a problem with this."

"Harry and I aren't most people," Trinity's voice caused Paul to jump. Where had she come from?

Trinity strolled into the room like she'd come across them discussing the weather. They both watched her as she settled herself on the coffee table and focused her intense gaze on Paul. "Now, I suggest you explain yourself fully. Otherwise we're going to waste the day talking circles around each other."

Paul swallowed hard, feeling the weight of that stare. Harry squeezed his hands again before settling back against the arm of the couch. He looked between the two of them trying to gauge their emotions. Both were either very good at hiding their emotions or all they really felt was interest. And maybe a bit of suspicion on Trinity's part.

"I'm a werewolf," he said again, "but I can shift whenever I want. It has nothing to do with the moon. Carlisle says that it's more like being a shapeshifter because other than the wolf part we don't have anything in common with true werewolves. I'm as big as a bear when I shift. My temperature runs a lot higher than normal people. I have heightened senses and I heal small injuries almost instantly and bigger ones in a few days. I started shifting a couple of years ago, when I was sixteen. It's a genetic thing, though it's been a long time since there's been a wolf in the family."

"You said we," Trinity spoke as soon as he finished talking.

Paul struggled to control his face, "What? No, I didn't."

"I have excellent hearing Paul so don't start lying to me now," her voice hardened ever-so-slightly.

Paul shifted uncomfortably. "There are quite a few of us split between two packs. The change is brought on when vampires are too close to the tribe. We're perfectly made to kill vampires, to protect the tribe."

Trinity looked at him like she was trying to see into his head. Harry simply looked thoughtful. It was him that spoke next, "So the Cullens coming to town caused the wolf gene to activate?"

Paul nodded, "Just a few of us at first but there was some trouble with the vampires that brought a whole lot of them in the area so just about everyone that could shift did. Why are you taking this so well?"

Harry smiled at him, "I'm a wizard but I can't do any magic right now. Healer's orders."

"And I am a witch," Trinity told him, "I am under no orders not to use magic."

Before Paul could think of a response Trinity's arm started to glow and he found himself completely surrounded by a spinning column of water. It was like being in the center of a water spout. He was afraid to touch it, fearing that it might collapse on him or something. "I get it, I get it," his voice may have been tight with nerves but he would never admit it.

The water disappeared and he looked at Trinity with wide eyes. She smirked at him, "Just a small taste of my power. Now the question becomes are you and you're friends a danger to us."

Paul hurriedly shook his head, "We protect people. We don't hurt them. And I would never do anything to hurt either of you."

Trinity gave him that soul searching look again. He did his best not to hide what he was feeling, to show her how honest he was being. He was aware that her opinion was very important to Harry. If she didn't approve of him then there was a good chance he would never get to see the wizard ever again.

After a long, tense silence Trinity spoke, "Alright then." She smiled at him and stood up, "Now I think you should get going. Harry and I have some things to do today."

Harry sighed heavily. "Things I am not looking forward to. I'll see you in the morning?"

Paul could hear the question in Harry's voice and was quick to reassure him, "Of course."

"Great," Harry grinned, "Have a good day."

Paul stood up, "I'll do my best. See you tomorrow."


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: So this took forever to write. I'm really sorry about that. I had to switch to pen and paper to get my mind going in the right direction again. I can't promise to be any faster with the next chapters. I'd like to thank everyone for following this and for their reviews. I never expected any sort of response to this. To be honest, it makes me a bit nervous. I can only hope that I don't disappoint all of you. I hope you enjoy this chapter.**

* * *

 _ **Chapter Fifteen**_

Trinity went into the kitchen and found her breakfast. Harry watched as she removed the charms and tucked in. A moment later he joined her. "Are you going to threaten everyone who wants to be our friend?" he asked.

"The nonhuman ones," Trinity told him unapologetically, "And the Cullens don't count. They wanted to check us out as much as we wanted to check them out."

Harry arched a brow, "You can't tell me that you don't see Jasper as a friend. I know how often he's been here."

Trinity concentrated on her plate and pink stained her cheeks. "I think," she said slowly, "that I could see Jasper as more than a friend given enough time."

Both brows disappeared into his hairline, "A vampire? Really? Wouldn't that cause problems with your mom or something?"

"Why would it?" Trinity looked at him curiously.

"There is a lot of prejudice against vampires. They're dark creatures. Wouldn't Kalia have a problem with that?"

"All magical creatures are loved by Karant. They may not fall under our rule but they are still children of magic. As for them being dark creatures, this is the only world where that is a classification. Magic is neither light or dark, only the beings that use it are. The wizards of this world are tainted by the fears of humanity."

"So, no problems from your mom if this relationship with Jasper becomes more than friendship?"

Trinity shook her head, "She may have concerns but only because I'm so young. It's not uncommon for an immortal to wait centuries before finding someone to settle down with."

"Here people would say you're just the right age," Harry said with a smirk.

"Yes, well, humans rarely live past a century," Trinity shrugged, "What do they know?"

Harry laughed lightly and fell silent. Trinity finished her breakfast and Kreacher appeared to take care of the dishes. She went to the refrigerator and grabbed two bottles of water. "For the record, I like Paul," she told him, "and I trust him to keep you safe."

"Good to know," Harry grinned, "I like him too."

"Let's go outside," she smiled, "Time to start working on your core."

Harry sighed. Healer stuff. He wondered how this was going to feel. Would changing his core hurt? Merlin, he hoped not. He had more than enough pain to deal with already. And he knew that cleansing his injury was probably going to hurt more than it had the day he got it. He remembered regrowing the bones in his arm had hurt a hell of a lot more than losing them.

He shuffled reluctantly outside and saw Trinity was already sitting on the damp grass. Why did this need to involve sitting on the ground? His hip did not appreciate having to sit in the ground. He made his way over to Trinity and started steeling himself to get down there with her.

Trinity shook her head, "I'm going to help you down." Then she placed both of her hands on the ground and he felt the earth just behind him swell until it was the height of a chair. At Trinity's nod Harry sat, only needing to bend his knees slightly. Then he was slowly eased down as she allowed the earth to return to its natural place. And Harry smiled as he found himself sitting in front of his sister with his legs straight out in front of him.

"You're getting better at that," he said as bent his right leg and adjusted his left so he was more comfortable.

"With the small bits," Trinity shrugged, "Eventually I will be able to move mountains and create chasms. Any number of ways to make the earth move really."

Harry marveled at the way Trinity casually dismissed her power. Had a wizard been able to do that so effortlessly they would be bragging about it for years, even if they never managed to do it again. "How are we going to fix my core?" he asked, knowing that she wouldn't want to dwell on what she saw as a tiny feat.

"You're going to need to pull the very magic out of the environment and funnel it into your core. Ambient magic is what recharges a wizard's core when they cast spells. Since you can't use your wand to drain the magic from your core, you're either going to have to cast wandless spells or forcibly replace the old magic with the new. How much wandless magic do you know?"

"Just a few simple spells. It's not something I've ever taken the time to practice."

Trinity nodded, "Then we'll do a combination of both. If you only know a few spells you're going to need to feel the magic around you to draw it in. That is why we are outside. Magic is easier to feel when you're not enclosed by walls."

"How am I supposed to feel ambient magic?" Harry asked with a frown. He could feel his magic when it moved through him but he'd never been able to feel it in the air around him. Except for when they'd first come to this house, he reminded himself. He hadn't felt it since, then again, he hadn't been trying to feel it either. He'd been occupied with other things.

"All magic users can feel magic, especially in a place like this where the magic is so alive. Wizards are more human than not, which can close their minds off to the source of their power. They like to think that they are the only beings in this world that have magic. And the generations who 'tamed' the magic neglected to pass on vital teachings to their descendants. Most likely assuming magic would never change so no one would need to understand how to nurture it," Trinity explained, "If you can open your senses and feel the magic, then it will be much easier for you to pull it into your core."

"So how do I feel the magic?"

Trinity bit her lip while she was thinking. Harry waited patiently while she worked out whatever instructions she wanted to give him. "Have you ever felt magic in the air before?" she asked after a long minute.

"When we first found this house I swore I could feel it then."

"What were you feeling then?"

"I was feeling that this place was perfect, it was home. I could find peace and be happy here."

Trinity smiled softly at him, "You were hopeful and happy. Open to all possibilities. Feeling that way again will definitely help."

Harry frowned, "How am I supposed to feel that way again?"

She sighed, "You have to let yourself. We are a family in a way neither of us have ever had before. You have a great friend in Paul and the potential to make many more when you're more comfortable. You have a brilliant future ahead of you. And Fair is going to heal you and give you even more choices for that future. You have so many things to be happy about and reasons to hope. All you have to do is give yourself permission to hope, open yourself to seeing all of the possibilities ahead of you."

Harry released a heavy sigh of his own. He closed his eyes and thought about all of it. He had a sister, someone who cared about him and had no need or desire to be connected to 'The Chosen One.' He'd only known Paul for a week but he was already starting to think of him as his best friend. Harry never would have trusted Ron to help him with his scars. He was a powerful and talented wizard (as loathe as he was to admit it) and could do just about anything he wanted. The offer to be a prince was still on the table. And this healer was certain she could get him back to full mobility.

Could he shore up what was left of his Gryffindor courage and let himself hope? Emotional injuries were so much harder to overcome than physical ones. He'd hoped for his parents to come and rescue him when he was a child. He'd hoped for the wizarding world to rescue him from his relatives from the moment he'd found out about it. He'd hoped for people to treat him like a normal kid. He'd hoped that his friends would always stand by him no matter what the rest of the world was saying about him. He'd hoped that fighting Voldemort wasn't really his responsibility. He'd hoped that Ginny would always love him. All of that had turned out so well for him.

But Trinity was here telling him it was okay to hope now. Voldemort was dead. He was part of a real, albeit small, family. He had a friend who knew nothing of his role in the wizarding world. There were several others who wanted to be his friends too. He had old friends and mentors who wanted to reconnect with him. He had the support of the Conduit. He was looking at a future that he'd never imagined for himself. Of course, he'd never expected to survive the war, so any future was something he hadn't imagined.

Now he wanted that future. Paul was his friend. Paul's friends wanted to be his friends too. Trinity loved him so much that she'd changed her life so she could be there for him. He had a home here, one that he grew more attached to every day. Fair was going to heal him and give him his life back.

Harry ran these thoughts through his head over and over again. He didn't know how long he sat there before he started to feel hope bloom in his chest but it felt like a while. He did have a future, a good one, even if the healing didn't work out. This place was always going to be home. Trinity was always going to be his sister. Paul was always going to be his friend, he could feel it in his bones. Karant was always going to be in his corner.

Harry opened his eyes and focused on Trinity. She was sitting in the exact same position she'd been in when he'd closed his eyes. The only difference was her hair was braided now. He motioned to it, "When did you do that?"

She smiled at him and shrugged, "You took a while. I fidget when I sit still too long but I didn't want to move around too much and disturb you. So I braided my hair six times I think, twice with magic. It's neater when I do it with my hands though."

"You could have got up and walked around."

Trinity shook her head, "I didn't want to leave you alone."

Warmth filled Harry at her response. He smiled at her, "Your hair looks nice."

"Thank you," she pushed the end of her hair back over her shoulder, "Did you manage to work things out in your mind?"

He nodded slowly, "I think so."

Trinity closed her eyes, "I'm going to do something and I want you to tell me if you feel anything."

Harry watched as she concentrated on whatever she was doing. He was curious and a little confused. After a moment Harry felt a heaviness fill the air around them. What was she doing? Then the heaviness turned into a gentle welcoming pressure that flowed around him. "What is this?" he asked.

"Ambient magic," she answered without opening her eyes, "I'm drawing it to us. That you can feel it is a good sign. Eventually you'll be able to feel it without my interference. Now I want you to cast some wandless magic. As many spells as you can. You should be able to feel the new magic coming in to replace what you expend."

Thinking of what spells he knew, Harry decided to concentrate on summoning. It was the biggest one he could do without a wand. He threw his cane as far as he could. Then he held out his hand and said, "Accio cane!" His cane flew right into his hand.

He felt his magic leave his core to get his cane and he could feel the welcoming magic in the air following the channels his magic made to find his core. It felt strange actually feeling magic flowing back in to recharge his core. With a quick glance at Trinity to see if she had any comments he threw his cane again. He repeated the process of throwing and summoning for the next half hour. Only stopping when he was too tired to bring the cane back to him.

Trinity opened her eyes and looked at him. Her blue eyes were glowing with power that she focused on him. Then the pressure of the ambient magic wasn't so gentle anymore. It felt like it was being forcefully shoved through his channels. It was uncomfortable, bordering on pain. He wanted to squirm around and try to get away from it but it was like he'd been glued to the ground. It only lasted for a moment, less than a minute, but it felt like forever. What was she doing to him?

Then she blinked her eyes were no longer glowing and the uncomfortable feeling went away. She looked at him with worry and moved to gently hold his face in both hands, "Are you alright? It didn't hurt too badly, did it?"

"I'm fine," his confused eyes met hers, "What did you do?"

"I forced magic into your core. I said it would have to be done in combination with the draining," he felt her magic reach out to soothe the aches caused by what she'd done, "I tried to be gentle."

Harry reached up and put his hands over hers, "I'm ok. It just caught me by surprise. Will we have to do this every day?"

Trinity nodded slowly, "I'm afraid so. You can cast wandless spells in the evenings so your core can fill overnight. I won't have to do it once the old magic in your core has been completely replaced with the new."

Harry wondered if he would have enough energy to cast spells after having her work on his leg. There would be some strong medications involved and, from his understanding, there was going to be a lot of pain. He might not feel like doing anything more strenuous than breathing after Trinity got done working on him.

Trinity sighed softly before releasing his face and going to fetch his cane. Once she returned the ground beneath him rose until he could stand on his own. "Come," she passed him the cane, "I'm sure Kreacher has supper ready. Once we've eaten and you've had your pain medicine I'll start working on cleaning the toxic magic out of your leg."

"Oh joy," Harry bit out before starting back to the house. He sure as hell hoped that all this pain was worth it.

 **HPHPHPHHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP**

Trinity carefully mixed the blue pain medication as she steeled herself for what she was about to do. She was essentially going to spend the next hour torturing her brother. She had to keep reminding herself that it would make him better in the long run but it wasn't making her feel any better about the whole affair. There was no one who deserved to be tortured less than Harry.

Carrying the glass, Trinity made her way to Harry's room where her brother was already waiting. Kreacher was puttering around the room, trying to find something he could do to help his master. Harry was already in bed and making little suggestions to the elf so the creature could feel useful.

"Kreacher," Trinity called softly, "I'll be starting soon. It would be best if you left."

Kreacher turned and gave her the dirtiest look she'd ever seen on anyone's face. "I's be staying with Master Harry. You's be hurting him. I's be keeping Master Harry company."

Trinity sighed heavily, "I can order you away Kreacher."

"Heir is not being Kreacher's master," he crossed his bony arms over his chest and practically dared her to contradict him.

She had to admire the old elf's courage and loyalty. It would take a whole lot of both to stand up to someone such as herself. Harry was watching the interaction with barely concealed amusement. She couldn't bring herself to chastise anyone so loyal to her brother.

"You may stay Kreacher," she said seriously, "but you can not interfere. I need to concentrate on Harry. The slightest distraction could cause me to hurt him. Do you understand?"

Kreacher's large eyes widened so much she thought they were going to pop right out of his head and he nodded. Trinity offered him the pain medicine, "Will you please give this to Harry?"

The elf hurried to do her bidding. He was very careful not to spill any as he moved to the head of the bed to stand by Harry. "Here Master Harry," he held the glass out to him.

Harry took the glass with a tight smile, "Thank you Kreacher." He looked down into the slightly discolored water and sniffed lightly. His smile turned into a grimace before drinking it all in one shot. His face twisted and he shuddered in disgust. "Why does all medicine taste like shite mixed with vomit?" he asked after a moment.

Trinity laughed softly, "And how do you know what shite tastes like?"

"I can hazard a guess." Harry put the glass on his bedside table and settled deeper into the mattress. "This stuff works fast," he mumbled, "Feels like my whole body's going numb."

"That's good," Trinity moved to stand beside him, "Fair's had quite a few years to learn how to make strong medicine."

Harry snorted but didn't comment. His eyes were at half mast and he seemed to be closing in on sleep. Sometimes, even she was amazed at how potent the herbal mixtures Fair made were. Especially since they weren't infused with magic.

"I'm going to get started now," she spoke softly.

Harry was still aware enough to show a bit of worry in his eyes, "Alright."

Opening herself fully to the magic around her, Trinity quickly zeroed in on the toxic magic in her brother's leg. It was well concealed by the stagnant magic that had been used in a poor attempt to heal him. She decided to start working on removing the dark magic first. The British healing magic may be stagnant but it was also keeping the dark magic from spreading and doing more damage.

Channeling her own power into the wound, she carefully started wrapping it around the dark. It had to be done in small sections. It was delicate, painstaking work. Prying the dark magic from itself and destroying it without causing undue harm to her brother took the kind of concentration she'd never had to use before.

When Harry started to whimper she nearly stopped. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. They only had a week to get as much of this out of him as possible. This had to be done. Kreacher had conjured a rag and was gently wiping Harry's brow. It made her smile even as she refocused on her work.

She worked for more than an hour. Sweat formed on her brow from the strain on her nerves and magic. The medication had started to wear off because Harry's whimpers were coming closer together and turning into soft cries. She sealed the area she'd already worked on so none of the infection could undo her work before reigning her magic in.

Once her vision cleared she turned her gaze to Harry's face and sucked in a sharp breath. Tears were streaming down his face and he'd nearly bitten through his lip in an effort to keep silent. It looked as if she'd overestimated the medication and underestimated Harry's pain tolerance. Brushing Kreacher aside, she knelt beside the bed and pried Harry's lip from between his teeth.

"Why didn't you cry out?" her voice was tight with emotion, "I would have stopped."

"It needs to be done if I'm going to get better," he whispered.

"But I don't want to hurt you unnecessarily," she ran her hand down his cheek, "I won't go so long tomorrow."

"You'll go as long as I can stand," he said stubbornly.

She wasn't sure about that. And she wasn't concerned about what he could stand. She was concerned about what her nerves could handle. She didn't think she could push him this far every day. It seemed that once he let hope in, his determination to see this through surpassed his resolve that nothing good would ever happen for him again.

"Do you want the other pain medicine?"

Harry swallowed, closed his eyes and nodded. "Please."

"Kreacher, will you bring me the green medicine that Fair left?" she asked the elf as she filled the glass Harry'd used before with water.

The old elf was gone and back again practically before she'd finished speaking. Trinity smiled her thanks and mixed the medicine with great care. She helped Harry sit up so he could chug it down and then helped him lie back down. "Get some rest," she told him softly.

This medication was stronger than the other it seemed. He was asleep before he could even form a response. Trinity ran a shaking hand through her hair before clenching both fists at her side. Her thoughts were swirling as she stared at the sleeping wizard. She was the Heir to Magic. She was strong and sometimes ruthless. But this...torture of her brother...made her feel like a weak, frightened child.

She watched him sleep for a few minutes longer before turning to Kreacher. "Keep an eye on him. I have to go out. I won't go far so come find me if he needs anything."

Without waiting for him to respond Trinity teleported into the forest. As soon as her feet touched the ground she loosed her power. As the wind and rain raged around her she screamed her anger to the heavens. Her anger at the British wizards, Voldemort and his followers, the Dursleys, and her mother. She screamed out her sorrow for the pain Harry was in and the loss of so many years between them. She poured out every emotion into the storm long into the night, until she had nothing left.

 **HPHPHPHHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP**

The citizens of Forks were nervously watching the storm. No one had ever seen such a fierce storm before. It had them worried. The storm had come on so fast. There had been nothing in the forecast about this. There was no sign of it coming to an end. All they could do was go to bed and hope for it to pass.

The wolves on the reservation paced their borders. They knew the storm wasn't natural but they couldn't sense the source. They didn't even know where to start looking. Paul turned toward Harry's house. This smelled like the kind of magic Trinity had shown him earlier in the day. Something was wrong. He shifted without care for his clothes and raced toward his mate.

The Cullens were caught off guard by the storm as much as anyone else. Something that hadn't occurred since Alice had joined them. Jasper could swear that he could feel the storm, like a maelstrom of emotions. It wasn't natural. He needed to see about Trinity. Without another thought he charged into the storm.


	16. Unacceptable

This is not an update and I'm sorry for that. I'm in the middle of a move and have somehow managed to pack away what I've written for this story. Life has gotten in the way of my writing for the last few months and I'm hoping that once I'm settled into my new house I'll have more time for writing, I have not abandoned this story. I promise.

But this post really isn't about my lack of updating either. I received a review today that really pissed me off. It came from a guest who refused to leave their name. If you want to leave a negative review, that's fine. I do not expect everyone to like my story. In fact, I'm surprised that anyone does. But it is completely unacceptable to tell me that I should kill myself because you find my story "fucking pathetic & written by some disturbing, brain dead fan." It is unacceptable to say that to anyone for any reason and I will never allow a review like that to be posted on my story. Whoever this guest is can go fuck themselves.

I do not care how much you dislike my work. I do not care how pathetic you find it or how disturbed you think I am. I do not write to make you happy with me. There is absolutely no reason for me to be told to kill myself by anyone. What ever is wrong with Guest that they think encouraging suicide is the right way to deal with their feelings, I hope that they get help. They should spend their free time with a shrink and not reading fanfiction.


End file.
